Microlearning A Language
What is it and How to Make It Work for You
As a child I always dreamed about some magicians who would come and after one sign of a wand make a person fluent in Chinese. I don’t know why, but in my childhood mind knowing chinese was equal to being the wisest person in the world. Unfortunately, such a person does not exist, and I still have not learned Chinese and probably never will. But I have studied a lot of different methods of language learning and the closest what I have found to the “magic wand” is microlearning.
What Is Microlearning?
Microlearning is a way of learning in small, bite-sized chunks. In simple words, it is when you are learning something while on the bus, waiting for your coffee, or in some other situations where you have only several minutes.
The attractiveness of microlearning is clear when compared to traditional study methods. There are no sleepless nights, boring textbooks, or studying for hours like we used to do in school. Instead of long lessons, it breaks information into short, focused sessions. It also takes away the moral pressure and need to spare a lot of time for long classes.
This was a huge relief to me. Like most of you, I grew up with the idea that if you don’t study all the time, suffering with textbooks for hours, you are not studying enough and will never learn. However, with microlearning I have been study around my busy life without feeling guilty.
Science Based Studying
Now you might be thinking that this is all too good to be true. But the science supports it. Numerous research has shown that microlearning is more effective than traditional learning. For example, one study conducted at a German university can lead to a significant increase in exam pass rates, with improvements of up to 18%.
Also, microlearning increases learner engagement and course completion ratess compared to traditional training methods if we speak about learning in universities or on the workplaces.
The success of microlearning is based on the fact that it incorporates several basic ideas about human nature and memory which individually have been scientifically studied. Here are three of the main concepts.
Attention Span and Focus
We all know that our attention spans are short, especially with constant distractions, notifications, and scrolling addiction. Short lessons align with our natural ability to focus for only a few minutes at a time, with short learning sessions increasing focus and retention go up to 80%. So, focusing on your language learning for 10 minutes might be much more realistic and effective than spending an hour in the class and not focusing at all.
The Forgetting Curve
Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist, in the late 19th found that people forget about 50%-70% of new information within 24 hours. He created the Ebbinghaus’s Forgetting Curve (see image below) to show how we forget information quickly unless we review it periodically. The longer we don’t reinforce information the less like something is to stay in our long-term memory.
To sum up, we need to review information at increasing time intervals (e.g., 1 day, 3 days, 5 days) to actually memorize it. Thus, learning often is much more effective than learning once a week for 3 hours. microlearning apps take advantage of this principle by using algorithms to help users boost memory with spaced repetition.
For example, the app I’m using for memorizing Spanish vocabulary shows me words less and less frequently until eventually never showing me the world again. I impressed with how it feels like spaced review sessions are doing their thing. I feel like my memory is stretching and when I see a word I haven't seen for a while and get the meaning correct, I can tell that I am learning.
Active Recall and Engagement
Studying with microlearning also includes the use of many different interactive elements (e.g. quizzes, scenarios, and videos). This helps learners not just remember what they are studying but actively recall information through different activates. The diverse types of interactions help your brain move information into long-term memory.
What I personally love about microlearning is that every day it gives you a bit of a dopamine reward for doing your 10-minute lesson. It feels like playing a game. It also doesn't get boring since there are lots of different ways to study.
Become a Microlearner
So, how can you take advantage of microlearning to help you become a better student of language? Here are some tips I have personally discovered to help me study better and become more fluent quickly.
Study daily when you feel like but at least 5 minutes a day.
Choose a time of a day when you are more productive and feel better — after the morning coffee, after yoga class or before going to bed. It should be natural for you and enjoyable. What is important is that you set aside this time every day, no exceptions. If you are like me, it's also good to set a reminder for this time so you don't miss it.
Everything that is more than 5–10 minutes will be an additional plus! So don’t push yourself too hard.
Flashcards are great for quick studying on the go.
Whether physical or digital. flashcards are a great way to study languages. Upload all your dictionaries into the app and go through flashcards while you have a minute makes finding the time for a microlearning session even easier.
I recommend as it is what I use and I find it very helpful. The app has automatic spaced repetition and will show you flashcards at the specially calculated time to beat the forgetting curve. Plus, Noji now has AI built it so you can upload a textbook, pick the pages you need to study, set a prompt, and get a full deck of flashcards to microlearn, without hours of prep work.
Make studying diverse to activate different types of memory
Try to make your studying interesting and cover all the aspects of language. This was something I easily overlooked when I studied in school. For example, read a story one day and retell yourself the story the next or listen to the podcast for 5 minutes and put new vocabulary into flashcards to go through later. Keeping your studying diverse will activate different types of memory and allow you to practice all language skills daily.
Read and listen to what you like so you enjoy it!
While practising reading and listening choose something you like. Read about your favorite artists, movies or places. Watch your favorite serial in a new language. Enjoying the subject will make daily practice easier. Microlearning also does not mean you only micro-learn at home and never go to real people. Go to speaking clubs, find language baddy online, and practice with people outside if you learn the language of the country where you live. Then add new vocabulary to your flashcards list and learn tomorrow.
Don’t forget to have a big picture plan
Having a larger plan is as important as having lots of small studies sessions. Make sure that you have at least some plan and know what your long-term goals. This gives you perspective and helps maximize the benefit of your study sessions. For example, how should you spend your 10 minutes today? Do you want to devote it to listening or vocabulary review? Scrolling Spanish Instagram, while good language practice, is not going to be helpful if you are doing it randomly.
Part of microlearning is about being aware what are you doing and making every minute of your studying precious and important.
Conclusion
In microlearning everything is routed to creating a habit of learning every day. The hardest part of studying is creating this habit and why I feel microlearning is so beneficial. It builds natural connections between your studies and your daily life such as listening to a podcast while cooking or reading in a bus.
While it seems small, there is a lot to if we are to learn any language or skill (even though it is called “micro” learning). But microlearning breaks things down into more manageable pieces and tries to make these parts second nature.
So, if you have tried learning a language in the past but gave up, I encourage you to try microlearning like I have. Learning a language might seem like an impossible task but it is absolutely possible, and you will learn faster and effective, just like magic!
