Episode 70: Unlocking the Potential of Micro-learning and Nano-learning in K-12 Education

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Foreign welcome to another episode of K12 Education Untangled. My name is Dr. Kim Fields, former corporate manager turned educational researcher and advocate, and I'm the host of this podcast. I got into this space after dealing with some frustrating interactions with school educators and administrators, as well as experiencing the microdiscriminations that I faced as an African American mom raising my two kids who were in the public school system. I really wanted to understand how teachers were trained and what the research provided about the challenges of the public education system. Once I gained the information and the insights that I needed, I was then equipped to be able to successfully support my children in their educational progress. If you're looking to find out more about current information and issues in education that could affect you or your children, then you're in the right place. Thanks for tuning in today. I know that staying informed about K12 education trends and topics is important to you, so keep listening. On today's episode I'll be discussing what is microlearning and nano learning and how it can be applied in the K12 educational setting. Microlearning is becoming a popular approach in the public education setting because students attention spans have become shorter than in the past and in order to acquire new knowledge, small chunks of information need to be delivered in a condensed time frame. Nano learning is just a smaller component of microlearning that involves dividing micro content into small chunks to address a small objective, and usually that objective is one single objective. These are certainly trends to be aware of and you and your children may have already been exposed to this learning modality. I explore more about these topics as well as the differences between the two and what microlearning is not on this episode. Let's get started. Actually, the term microlearning was coined back in 2005 by Research Studios Austria. Microlearning is also referred to as chunk size or bite size learning. It allows flexibility of learning time and space, as well as the availability of multiple learning media choices from which to learn. Microlearning can either be technology based or non technology based. It's applicable within the K12 setting, within workplaces and in the higher education setting, especially for online courses with increased use of digital devices which have reduced a student's concentration span. Engaging and vibrant microlearning environments are critically needed. Currently, the goal of this less is more approach is to reduce unnecessary cognitive load and its associated stress as a hindrance to learning so that the focus can shift to prioritizing the most essential skills and relevant content. It's all about increasing student engagement and learning. Microlearning has now emerged as a learning approach in which information is processed in small manageable pieces in order to better enable retention, engage students and provide micro content. By focusing on these small targeted chunks of specific information, absorption and retention become easier, taking deep comprehension and application of knowledge and making that more attainable. Microlearning works with the student's preference for video and other visual media over documents and even Internet articles. Providing students with short segmented installments of information increases retention as well as mastery of key concepts. Speaking of Attention Attention has a direct impact on long term memory, which improves students knowledge retention as well as building links between new information and their existing knowledge base. Students often pay attention in cycles, alternating between paying attention and and not paying attention. That's why it's important for them to utilize interactive elements such as demonstrations or group work as well as quizzes in order to actively engage students. One of the downsides of the extensive use of digital technology is that it forces people to multitask. In other words, it divides their attention between different tasks. This may or may not be a good thing. Microlearning seems to be a viable successor to elearning because it meets the demands of today's world in that it needs to be available anytime and anywhere, does not overwhelm the user with information, needs to be interactive as well as offer diverse learning objects and allow students to study at their own pace. Microlearning is a natural cure for forgetting. With a series of short micro courses, specific skills can be attained and securely reinforced. Research indicates that microlearning reduces the likelihood of mental fatigue because it's specific and short. Through repetition, information is transferred from short term memory to long term memory, which is where knowledge is built. Microlearning has the following characteristics. The lessons are relatively easy and short. The content is presented in small units. The form of the content is usually in episodes or fragments. The focus is on separate integrated activities so as to maintain attention and the modality uses various media including print media and online multimedia. Microlearning is constantly evolving and changing. It's simple, short and engaging and can typically be consumed in five to 20 minutes typically, although some lessons may run as long as one hour. What researchers have found is the that using the lessons and presenting the lessons in five minute intervals seems to work best for overall retention. Microlearning typically incorporates content presentation, review, practice, reflection, behavioral prompting, performance support, task assignments, social interaction, and coaching. In a nutshell, microlearning is an instructional unit that provides a short engagement in an activity intentionally designed to elicit a specific outcome from the participant, whether that participant is an adult learner, a student, or a K12 learner. It is focused on performance, in other words, what the student is going to do as a result of the microlearning experience. There are some things that microlearning is not it's not new. It's been researched for roughly 30 years. Its application has grown because of the advent of mobile technologies. It's not a complete learning ecosystem. It should be used in conjunction with other delivery methods, including classroom instruction, games and simulations. It's not a resource library. The emphasis is on some sort of learning or performance outcome. It's not right for every learning outcome. In other words, it's not meant for deep reflection or building expertise or solving complex problems. And it's not about knowledge. It's about determining what the participant needs to do, not what they need to know. A practical example of microlearning for adults is the platform skillshare. Some podcasts and microblogs are other examples of microlearning that are utilized by adults. The use of these platforms can lead to lifelong learning for professionals, especially as they explore the ability to improve their knowledge and skills in order to keep up with research, new developments and breakthroughs in their field. Now let's move on to what nano learning is. Nano learning refers to condensing micro content into smaller units that are controlled and delivered by learners in order to achieve a single learning objective. Nano learning is just a smaller component of microlearning and the social media application. TikTok could be a potential educational tool in the future because it enables the delivery of small learning units in a short time span, usually less than 60 seconds. Nano learning is based on the principle of nanotechnology which features small self contained unified pieces is often applied to enable growth of microlearning. An example of nano learning would be short pieces of audio, video and graphics graphical content. An example of microlearning would consist of short term learning objectives chopped into small units in order to achieve a learning objective. Both microlearning and nano learning approaches are focused on introducing a single objective with scored and unscored assessments. The main difference between nano learning and microlearning is that microlearning can be used in both formal and informal learning environments compared to nano learning, which can only be used in informal learning environments. Nano learning is an adaptive system that has close connections with information technology. Nano learning lends itself to individualized and personalization of the learning process, which in today's world is a necessity. Nano learning is a learning process designed to enable a student to learn a subject in a 10 minute period of time. This primarily takes place via electronic media. Nano learning is not a group program. The point of it is to give each student the exact capsule of information that he or she needs. By no means is nano learning a substitute institute for comprehensive programs that address complex issues. The format is more suited to tackle specific areas of subject matter that are unclear or to explain narrow topics. Nano Learning is particularly popular among Millennials and Gen Z, or digital natives or Zoomers because this latter generation learns much more from short videos on Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube rather than in textbooks and other outdated learning modules. This fast and entertaining content provides students with the information that they need in a way that holds their attention. The digital natives are quite tech savvy, accustomed to using technology as a means of communication, entertainment and education. They prefer to learn in short bursts in multiple devices, and they have shorter attention spans than previous generations. Nano learning is a way of delivering compressed information in an engaging format. It provides a few sound bites and offers valuable and relevant content through platforms such as Twitter or text messages. The applications and platforms that I mentioned thus far are viral among Millennials and Gen Z, which explains why they are the most active users of nano learning today. Let's talk a bit more about Gen Z or the Zoomers or digital natives for a moment. While this generation is entering soon, or will be entering soon into higher education, they have unlimited opportunities for receiving and processing information and knowledge, and they know how to find anything they need on the Internet. They haven't seen a world without computers and gadgets. For this generation, it's necessary to create an engaging educational setting with gamification elements since they learn by watching and and doing. They want practical and relevant information, but they also seek individualized, immediate, exciting, engaging, technologically advanced and visually based learning. Microlearning is one of the best and most efficient tools for teaching Gen Z students since it's compatible with their learning habits. This generation's cognitive features include having a short attention span, decreased selective attention, short term memory, mosaic thinking, lack of critical perception of information, increased suggestibility, and immature communication skills. They are physically unable to concentrate and process large amounts of information. Yet another reason why microlearning is particularly suited to them because the information is delivered to them in short bursts. They are able to be more creative and collaborative since they grew up with social networking and messaging services and they enjoy working in teams with their peers. They value autonomy and self based learning. It's important to keep in mind that nano Learning is cool, but in no way is it an alternative to comprehensive performance professional development. The main problem with nano Learning is that it is only a tiny part, a supplement, and not a core course that would give more complete and extensive knowledge. Nano Learning is a way of presenting educational content, not the content itself. It can involve any content, it just depends on the educational goals. Nano Learning can be used for any of the complexities of subject matter materials. It is a companion to the content. It's also adaptive and personalized because it meets the student's learning needs, adopts and adapts to them, and is pretty much suitable for everyone. Here are some things to think about as you take action steps regarding this topic there's really no specific action steps to take regarding microlearning and nano learning. The main thing is to be aware that you or your children may experience using these educational approaches either in the classroom or in the workplace. These approaches are just another way to address individualized learning. Be aware that this educational mode may be something that your child's teacher may be implementing in the classroom as part of that teacher's instructional method. Microlearning has been used as a part of the lesson in classes such as chemistry, foreign languages, social studies, and art history. Here are this episode's takeaways. The term microlearning was coined back in 2005 by Research Studios Austria. Microlearning is also referred to as chunk size or bite sized learning. It allows flexibility of learning time and learning space, as well as the availability of multiple learning media choices from which to learn. Microlearning can either be technology based or non technology based. It is applicable within the K12 setting, within workplaces and in the higher ed setting, especially for online courses. There are some things that microlearning is not it's not new. It's not a complete learning ecosystem, it's not a resource library, it's not right for every learning outcome and it's not about knowledge. It's about determining what the participant needs to do, not what they need to know. Nano learning is particularly suited for lifelong learning because it helps you learn about pertinent information pertaining to a particular topic of choice. Nano learning is a way of presenting educational content, not focusing on the content itself itself. It can involve any content, it just depends on the educational goals. Nano learning can be used for any complexity of material. It's a companion to the content. It's also adaptive, personalized, and it meets the students learning needs, adapts to them, and is pretty much suitable for everyone. The main difference between nano Learning and microlearning is that microlearning can be used in both formal and informal learning environments compared to nano learning, which can only be learned in informal learning environments. If this is the type of subject matter and discussion that resonates with you, please follow my podcast on whatever service you're listening to this also, I'd love to hear from you, so please leave me a rating, a review, or a comment on Apple or podchaser if you like this podcast. The best way to support me and help me grow it is by leaving a review. This helps my rankings and it entices other people to listen to the show and share this episode with anyone that you think would find it valuable. Be sure to tell your friends, family and community about my podcast. Additionally, connect with me on Instagram and Facebook with the handle kimj.fields. or reach out to me with a specific question by sending an email to Kim at liberationf through education.com thanks for listening today. I hope you'll come back for more K12 educational discussions with even more exciting topics to untangle. Be sure to stay tuned on the next episode. I'll be sharing my thoughts about thinking consecutively versus thinking concurrently. Until next time A to lie Learn something new every day.

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