6 Big Reasons Microlearning Is Not Learning

Can you learn new skills in quick 5 minute bursts?

The concept of “Microlearning” tends to push that narrative.

Microlearning has gained a lot of popularity in recent years as a way to deliver bite-sized chunks of information to learners. This idea has spread farther in the wake of a post-ChatGPT world we find ourselves in.

Not only is information available at our finger tips, it’s delivered in actionable context almost instantaneously.

The idea is that since people have short attention spans, they are more likely to retain information if it's delivered in small, manageable portions. However, while microlearning might seem like an effective way to acquire new knowledge, from research and my own experience I believe that it's not a true form of lasting learning and that it's more akin to infotainment.

What Is Microlearning?

Have you ever had sushi off a conveyer belt? It's called "kaiten-zushi" in Japan, which literally translates to "rotation sushi." If you haven’t had it, I highly recommend the experience.

You might think of microlearning like the rotation sushi of education, where complex subjects are chopped into bite-sized, “easy-to-digest” pieces. It's a focus on one specific topic, one small plate at a time.

So many new and interesting topics are delivered to us on conveyer belt-like social media timelines and channels. You don’t have to work for it. Content is constantly delivered directly to you now.

Sounds appetizing, but learning is not exactly like eating. Even though it’s easier to eat in bite size chunks, nourishing your mind is not the same as nourishing your body.

Throughout this article I’ll share a few references that try to convey this concept. But to start, here’s a microlearning formatted video to explain what microlearning is. 🙃 

This is a well-done video, but I find it ironic that the video highlights that science shows our brain is designed to forget.

The format of Microleaning is forgettable.

Sure, science and Psychologist George Miller shows that we can only hold 5 - 9 facts at a time before committing them to long term memory or losing them. Our brain’s software “garbage collection” system kicks in.

But I believe this is focusing on the wrong thing. Facts are just trivia without encoding them to some deeper understanding.

The Forgetting Curve

Microlearning tries to emphasize how small repetitions can help fight how our brain naturally tends to forget less common things, called the forgetting curve.

Here’s how Wikipedia describes the forgetting curve:

We typically forget a new piece of info within about 2 days if not recalled or reviewed. Recall, however, needs to be active. This means it requires cognitive effort from internal prompting. This is almost in direct opposition to a passive effort from external prompting, like short-form video or skimming flash cards.

Associated info may stay longer if it’s anchored to something else. But microlearning doesn’t discuss the anchors, just the consumption.

The Way We Consume Is Not For Retention

One of the “benefits” of microlearning touted is that it fits the way we like to consume information today. But the way we consume information today is partial, fractured, and broken.

At first glance, we may not see it that way. Everything looks polished, accessible, and ready-made. We are able to leverage centuries of learning and production into this pivotal explosion of human information and understanding.

All we have to do is pick a channel (conveyer belt) and grab the first thing that grabs us.

We Aren’t Learning From AI, AI Is Learning from Us

And now we also have AI and LLM interfaces like ChatGPT. We are getting better at prompt engineering, and as a result, AI is getting better from our feedback. Not necessarily the other way around.

How AI will augment us and change future of work deserves many articles and books of its own. For now, I just want to highlight one of the most impactful talks I’ve heard about how AI is impacting us.

Ian Beacraft in is talk How AI and the Metaverse will Shape Society at SXSW 2023 presents the idea of “just-in-time skills.” It’s a profound concept tangential to microlearning, and I wanted to highlight his video here.

Info-Sushi

Let’s table AI for now and go back to the conveyer belt sushi metaphor. I’m going to refer to microlearning’s attempt to combat our shortened attention spans as “info-sushi.”

It looks great, tastes great, and there are constant new varieties to choice from.

Here’s the problem though. We don’t see how the rice is grown, how the nori seaweed paper is created, or how the fish is caught. We only see the nice-looking, crafted compilation of the ingredients thats easy to “get” in a single bite. And as I stated before, we don’t “get” new skills like we get nutrients.

This is a byproduct of our privileged modern society, and also a learned practiced based on technology’s unintentional (and then intentional) abuse of our dopamine receptors. The algorithms of more, at any cost.

So now, we are trying to adapt. Many companies and institutions say microlearning is “a way of teaching and training employees in ways that take little time but ultimately reach the intended goal.”^[1]

I feel like the fallacy is exemplified right within that sentence: “little time.”

Effective learning does not take little time. It is built over time.

We can consume little concepts like picking sushi plates off a conveyer belt. It sure looks good and tastes good, but eating it in this way teaches us nothing about the fundamentals required to make it. We’re just learning how to eat faster.

So, What Are Effective Ways of Learning?

Research and experience from high performers shows us that there are more effective ways to learn beyond just rote memorization, note taking, and quick bursts of polished reviews from a video conveyer belt. There are many great resources out there, but I want to highlight a few of my favorite recent books on the subject of learning.

1. The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin

2. Super Learning by Peter Hollins

3. Ultralearning by Scott Young

These books each provide deeper insights into the concept of learning, all sharing the approach of in-depth self-education. Reading them has given me strong insights into what works in becoming an autodidact, combining the findings and strategies from all three authors.

Waitzkins’s Approach

Waitzkin provides a holistic and insightful approach to the process of learning new skills. The book is a combination of memoir and self-development, drawing on his personal experiences of mastery in chess (he’s the subject of film Searching for Bobby Fischer) and Tai Chi Push Hands. He shares valuable lessons on the importance of foundation, intuition, presence, embracing adversity, creativity, daily (deliberate) practice, and the mind-body connection.

The combination of these in his life at an early age paved the way for optimal performance and massive personal growth. The details of his life are not repeatable, but the principles he shares can be personalized and applied to your own life.

Important concepts from The Art of Learning include:

1. Mastery of Fundamentals: The importance of solid foundational knowledge is crucial. From there, we can incorporate incremental learning and intuitive understanding to develop a deep and robust practice of any skill.
   

2. Mental and Emotional Resilience: Waitzkin’s book encourages cultivating presence, emotional resiliency, and embracing adversity while staying committed to daily practice. These factors contribute to consistent growth and unwavering focus on the learning journey.
   

3. Creative and Holistic Approach: We must include and explore the role of creativity, innovation, and the integration of the mind-body connection. This fosters peak performance, adaptability, and overall balance in personal development and skill building.

A final thought on Josh’s book is that since it involves many elements of his life, I recommend listening to the audio book version that he narrates for the full effect.

Hollins’ Approach

Super Learning explores the potential of human memory and cognitive enhancement techniques. Hollins provides scientifically proven strategies and methods to optimize the learning process, boost memory, improve retention, and increase overall cognitive performance.

The book emphasizes the importance of understanding how our brains function to implement effective learning strategies that can be applied in various areas of life.

Important concepts from Super Learning include:

1. Understanding the brain: Hollins emphasizes the importance of knowing how the brain functions in order to harness its full potential. He delves into the science of memory formation, retention, and retrieval, providing insights into neurological processes that underlie learning.
   

2. Scientifically proven techniques: Hollins presents a variety of evidence-based strategies to improve learning, such as the Feynman technique, spaced repetition, interleaved practice, and active recall. These methods have been proven to enhance memory retention and facilitate efficient learning.
   

3. Developing good habits: The book emphasizes the importance of cultivating healthy habits to support cognitive abilities, such as maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. These factors contribute to brain health and optimal cognitive functioning, which in turn can lead to improved learning performance.
   

4. Emotion and motivation: Hollins acknowledges the role of emotions and motivation in the learning process. He suggests that cultivating a positive mindset and strong motivation can significantly impact how effectively we learn. He discusses ways to maintain focus, avoid procrastination and develop a growth mindset.

One of the most important concepts covered in the book is that of metacognition. This is a vital derivative of critical thinking and self-observation. When we think about our thoughts and analyze them, we give ourselves the opportunity to change our interpretation of those thoughts and redirect towards a specific purpose.

Young’s Approach

Ultralearning is a self-help and personal development book that explores the concept of “ultralearning”, an aggressive, self-directed learning approach aimed at acquiring new skills and knowledge quickly and effectively. Young presents various strategies and techniques that have been proven to enhance learning outcomes, based on real-life examples of successful “ultralearners”, including the author's own experience.

The book offers practical guidelines to help readers master complex skills, improve problem-solving abilities, and accelerate their career growth.

Important concepts from Ultralearning include:

1. Self-directed learning: Young emphasizes the importance of taking control and responsibility for one's learning journey, encouraging readers to be proactive in setting learning goals, selecting resources, and tracking progress.
   

2. Focused intensity: Ultralearning demands a high level of concentration and focus on the task at hand. Young advises readers to eliminate distractions and maintain deep work sessions to maximize learning outcomes.
   

3. Metalearning: Young introduces the idea of "learning how to learn" as a key aspect of ultralearning. This involves understanding and applying various learning techniques, assessing their effectiveness, and continually refining and optimizing one's learning process.
   

4. Utilizing feedback loops: Young stresses the importance of seeking feedback and using it to improve performance. Regularly assessing progress, identifying weaknesses, and iterating on one's approach are essential as an ultralearner.

A Comparison Across All Three

I gained a lot of insight from these books. Josh Waitzkin, Peter Hollins, and Scott Young each offer different perspectives on the learning process, but there are some common themes and complementary ideas across their writings that resonated.

Focus on Understanding

All three authors prioritize the development of deep understanding and personal connections with the subject matter from different standpoints – Waitzkin through intuitive learning, Hollins through a scientific understanding of the brain, and Young through metalearning.

Personalizing Strategies and Techniques

While each author proposes their unique set of learning strategies, they all emphasize the value of purposeful, intentional learning methods – Waitzkin's incremental approach, Hollins' scientifically proven techniques, and Young's aggressive ultralearning strategies.

Mindset and Mental Presence

All authors acknowledge the importance of mindset and mental presence, whether it's Waitzkin's emphasis on mindfulness and resilience, Hollins' motivation and growth mindset, or Young's focused intensity and self-directed approach.

Seek and Embrace Feedback

Both Waitzkin and Young discuss the importance of seeking and utilizing feedback to improve performance. While not explicitly covered by Hollins, it is implicit in his advice to apply proven learning techniques, which entails experimentation and feedback.

All of these authors illustrate how long lasting learning is best supported by focused attention, a deeper mindset and connection to the material, and an ability think critically about the big picture. Combining the insights and strategies from all three authors can create a comprehensive and holistic approach to long-last learning—the kind that you can build skills upon.

It did for me, and it also exemplified how microlearning in its current form is pretty much the opposite.

Microlearning Encourages Scattered Attention

Our attention is continually pulled in different directions. Sometimes it’s drawn towards seeking answers, sometimes towards seeking stress relief, sometimes towards avoidance.

Googling by itself is not learning. It’s in the moment answers that do not stay in long term memory, unencoded by any personal experience or emotion. It is untether info that just gets lost in the sea of content we find ourselves in.

Unless it can be anchored securely to knowledge nodes we already have.

Incremental learning only works alongside active recall and focused progress over intentional time—building and reenforcing our knowledge nodes. This requires deliberate practice—a concept said between the lines by Hollins, Waitzkin, and Young.

One of the main problems with microlearning is that it doesn't allow for the kind of deep, meaningful engagement that is required for long-term retention. The forgetting curve mentioned earlier suggests even if someone absorbs a lot of information in a short period of time, they're unlikely to retain it for more than a few days.

On top of this lack of depth, microlearning is often focused on delivering information in a way that is focused on being entertaining or attention-grabbing, rather than in-depth. While this might be engaging in the moment, it doesn't necessarily equate to learners retain the information over the long term.

To me, it feels more like watching a show or doom scrolling on the phone - it's enjoyable, but likely will not lead to meaningful learning.

And since it is in the same format as we consume entertainment so readily, it becomes more difficult to determine if we are trying to learn or trying to distract.

The Microsummary On Why Microlearning Is Insufficient

In 6 Digestible Bite-size Info-sushi Chunks

1. Lack of emotional connection

Microlearning often leans towards delivering concise, factual content with little room for creating emotional connections, which play a crucial role in learning. Emotional experiences contribute to long-term memory formation and enhance overall learning outcomes, as illustrated in the works of Peter Hollins and Josh Waitzkin.

2. Lack of depth

Due to its bite-sized info-sushi nature, microlearning may not provide a comprehensive or in-depth understanding of a subject matter. This shallowness might hinder learners in grasping concepts, overcoming challenges, or dealing with dynamic situations requiring deep insights, as emphasized by Waitzkin's intuitive learning approach.

3. Lack of feedback

Since microlearning is often self-paced and less interactive, there could be fewer opportunities for learners to receive feedback on their progress and understanding. Valuable learning often involves constant feedback loops, as mentioned by both Waitzkin and Young, which are critical for improvement and course correction.

4. Insufficient reinforcement

Microlearning might not fully leverage the power of proven learning methods such as spaced repetition and active recall, which are essential elements of Hollins' and Young's approaches. These techniques support long-term retention and better retrieval of information.

The concept is also confused with incremental learning. But to do this there first has to be a firm foundation to take those incremental steps from. Microlearning skips foundations and anchors.

5. Missing the big picture

Microlearning often focuses on specific skills or isolated concepts, which may not encourage learners to see the broader context or develop their capacity for critical and creative thinking. Integration and comprehension of broader aspects are essential for mastery, as emphasized by all of the authors above.

Being able to connect new concepts to existing nodes of understanding is what helps drive deeper retention. This typically requires finding where this new information fits in the bigger picture.

6. Less suited for complex learning tasks

For more complex and demanding skills, such as learning a musical instrument or acquiring proficiency in a foreign language, microlearning might not offer the intensive, deep practice needed to achieve competence. Waitzkin's incremental learning and Young's Ultralearning approaches prioritize deep work and focus, not short bursts shoehorned into an already scattered schedule.

This concept of deeper, deliberate practice is necessary for mastering intricate skills.

Conclusion: What Is Microlearning Good For?

I feel like the intention of mircolearning is good, as it is trying to solve for the modern day problem of education in a continually distracted world. But a bandaid isn’t sufficient for a broken leg.

However, while it might not be the best way to acquire new knowledge, microlearning can be very useful for recalling information that you already know.

Here, microlearning can tie back into the forgetting curve in a more impactful way. Like using flashcards for terms after you’ve already covered the deeper context, you can recall their meaning.

Again, this is after a first true understanding is made—connection built.

The recall may not be as active, but since the knowledge is already embedded in your understanding somewhere, this approach can prolong its remembrance and application. At this point, with the breaking down of information into small, manageable pieces, you can reinforce your understanding of the material and anchor it to similar concepts.

It is important to firmly understand the simplest forms of concepts first, so that a foundational understanding can be achieved. Independent, occasional 5-minute videos are probably not suited for this level of true concrete grasp. They are better served as refreshers for what you already know.

Or, infotainment.

Microlearning is about consumption. True learning, is about understanding.