As the name suggests, bite-sized learning or microlearning is a procedure of breaking down digital learning content into small modules or digestible chunks. It is easier for students to grasp the idea of the content and learn at their own pace. Every module is enriched with information related to just one single topic with compact learning objectives. These nuggets are informative, have a focused objective and the duration varies from 1 to 15 minutes. On the other hand, conventional digital learning content can take 30- 60 minutes or even more, but they have a different objective.
Advantages of bite-sized learning
Bite-sized learning is regarded as a more engaging and effective way of learning. This modern way of learning has many benefits, which is why it is gaining momentum, and tutors have adopted this learning method. Let us take a look at some of the benefits of this learning approach:
Offers Flexibility to mobile learners
One of the major benefits of microlearning is its flexibility. People can manage some time out of their daily schedule and complete the modules accordingly. This kind of learning is good for mobile learners and provides a hands-on approach. This style is appropriate for those areas that require kinesthetic and visual techniques.
The bite-sized learning is designed in short modules. It can be studied as or when required. It can be consumed by combining it in multiple ways. This benefits the learners to complete the lectures or the modules depending on their preferences.
Keeps students engaged
Bite-sized learning approaches have been proven helpful in keeping learners motivated and letting them consume only meaningful content. When eLearning comes into play, students are more likely to lose their concentration. Studies have proved that learning and understanding the content eventually improve when smaller bits of content are presented. This allows concentration and improves the performance of the learners. Students retain the information for a longer period, thereby improving their testing abilities.
Serves long-term memory
The small chunks of the content are known as digestible chunks because the information is easy to understand, digest, and remember. Such information can be retained for a longer period of time and can be used actively when required.
When the learning content is divided into smaller portions, the learner tends to encode these concepts into their memory for longer. The method of 'chunking' contents allows the learner to combine small bits of information into memorable and meaningful concepts.
Benefits learners
This kind of learning approach provides a mobile learning opportunity. It can be accessed through any device at any place at the learner's convenience. Hence, this way of modern learning has benefitted learners to overcome the biggest hindrance, which is time restriction. Thus, demand for such kinds of learning programs has increased substantially due to this factor.
Bite-sized learning focuses on removing the barriers for the learners and caters to the needs of modern learners. The content is made resourceful and can be accessed at their convenience. Moreover, there is abundant information available that can overwhelm modern learners. Bite-size learning comes to the rescue by breaking this information into manageable chunks which can be accessed anywhere, anytime.
Steps to Create a bite-sized learning Environment
To create a bite-sized learning environment, we must follow these three steps:
Step 1: Secure a goal for your class
You have been teaching your student for a while, but by the end of the class, they are walking out or leaving the online session. How will you get to know what your students learn? How are they feeling at the end of the class? A learning goal must be determined so that at the end of the class, you are sure that the students have learned a concept and have the ability to apply it.
Step 2: Divide your content
You must create a bite-sized learning environment by dividing the concepts into smaller chunks. It should be well-designed to must not accumulate too many concepts for delivery all at once. You must distribute all the materials in short and effective lectures or sessions.
Most importantly, micro-learning strategies avoid delivering too much information in one long session. It should be such that any learner can easily retain all the concepts for a longer time and revisit them whenever required to apply them. In this way, students deepen their understanding of concepts, which will be more effective in retaining them.
Step 3: Design your mini-class activities and evaluation
In an eLearning unit, the content should be further broken down into smaller activities based on the material you determined in the previous step. Those micro activities should involve creative and critical thinking, reasoning, assessment, problem-solving activities, and more. The evaluation here should not be done "for learning" but rather" "for learning”.This will help your students apply the concepts they learn.
Also Read : An Effective Action-plan For PSLE Preparation
Five Important Tips for bite-sized Learning
Here are five important tips for effectively using the bite-sized learning strategy.
1. Focus on one subject
Microlearning helps you to channel your time in a way to provide information on one specific subject based on the student’s requirements. It is very important to take one subject at a time and focus on all the insights that students need to know.
2. Improve retention with a recap
As bite-sized learning is the best learning strategy, there's no other way of determining how much is learned. Infusing recaps into microlearning can help to determine students’ knowledge, but do not forget it should also be bite-sized.
3. Provide a remedy for performance gaps
Create eLearning content that will help students to focus on a specific work-related topic. Sometimes, a basic presentation would work. You must find out the student's performance gaps and how your content can be customized and help meet their needs.
4. Offer support of additional resources
Be sure your students can access other content formats, which would provide them with a support system. Bite-sized learning does not restrict students from benefiting from other sources or having a full-time learning experience.
5. Provide a roadmap to learning
Create a roadmap that assembles all the learning content and helps the students to keep note of their daily progress, showing the modules that are already done. It must give students the leverage of choosing the next module they would be starting with and reading according to their requirements.
Insights: Bite-sized learning for PSLE students
Singapore maintains a level of difficulty over the years with the PSLE exam. Each year they do this by limiting the number of challenging questions, i.e., approximately fifteen percent. Moreover, learners' involvement plays an important role in PSLE success. The transformation from traditional learning to bite-sized learning is proving productive for PSLE students. It increases retention, improves engagement with questions, and helps face challenges. Are you starting with your PSLE preparation? Visit Study Smart, and take your child’s PSLE preparation one step higher. Built on AI and backed by neuroscience, we help your child ace the PSLE exams with our tips and techniques for bite-sized learning. Enroll today!