What is microlearning? Microlearning is a tool that is becoming more popular in the corporate sector for quick training solutions (Mery, 2022). These training experiences average four minutes in length and focus on learner-centered content with actionable objectives focused on one specific task (Tipton, 2022). Many learners in corporate environments are short on time and professional development trainings are often hours, and sometimes days, long. The shorter length of these training experiences leads to better outcomes with increased learner engagement and improved content retention (Mery, 2022). 

So how does the training experience I created this week for new teachers to learn the skill of building student data folders to organize their materials for parent-teacher conferences fit into microlearning? For starters, the length of the content is short. The experience is delivered through a continuous-scroll website that guides learners through the three-step, five-minute long training. It begins with learners downloading a parent-teacher conference planning agenda to guide them as they collect materials for their student data folders. The learners will watch a three-minute video outlining how to use the agenda to guide them in their collection of evidence to support their conference discussions. It suggests documents to support discussions about student progress and social and behavioral habits. At the conclusion of the video, learners participate in a microassessment. Comprehension checks are common in mocrolearning activities and often consist of multiple-choice and reflection questions (Mery, 2022).  

At the end of the training, learners will understand the steps to follow to conduct a parent-teacher conference and have an agenda and student data folder to use for their conference. The microlearning experience provides learners with the opportunity to address an actionable objective, in this case creating a student data folder and using it to conduct a successful parent-teacher conference.  

Take a few minutes to experience the training by clicking here.

References 

Mery, Y. (2022). Chapter 2: A case for microlearning. Library Technology Reports, 58(5), 10–13. 

Tipton, S. (2022). Small-scale learning can reap big rewards: Myths about microlearning are preventing the modality from being as effective as it can be. TD Magazine, 76(5), 36–41.