Blog How To Learn A Language Podcast
June 24th, 2024
Microlearning: How to Make Anything Feel As Easy as Duolingo
Why is Duolingo easy to do when there’s no time for anything else? Microlearning helps you make anything feel as easy as Duolingo.
Before we begin…
The Video
The Podcast
Microlearning: How to Make Anything Feel As Easy as Duolingo
I’ve discussed Duolingo before and despite how ‘cool’ it is to hate on it, there’s plenty of advantages. We won’t go into that here, because I’ve done a better job digging into Duolingo here.
And besides, this isn’t really about Duolingo.
It’s about why you feel you don’t have time for anything else. And how to change that.
Why You Don’t Have Time For Anything Extra
Whether it’s Duolingo, a different app, or another simple language habit, chances are that that one thing you’ve got to stick feels easy to fit in.
And when language learning feels easy to fit in, it’s easy to make time for.
We know we can start an exercise or an activity without feeling rushed, or pressured that we’ll run out of time.
We know we can do it without getting too stuck, or too confused, or too overwhelmed.
And we know we can do it without getting bored.
When we put all of that together, it’s a lot simpler than it may at first seem – successful language learning is functional, flexible, and fun.
If you were to take a look at your current language habits that stick, I’ll bet they tick all of those boxes.
But I need to write an essay/have an hour-long lesson…don’t I?
The default assumption is that more equals better.
Therefore, more time spent speaking or writing or whatever it is we’re focused on will yield better results, won’t it?
Well, it is very possible to overstudy.
And with modern communication shaping the way we interact, our attention spans, and how we choose to consume, the trend of microlearning (and nano-learning) is very much on the rise.
What this means for us as language learners is that we need to adjust our idea of what counts.
If all you have time for one day is Duolingo (or whatever your current habit is), that’s fine. It counts.
If you have time to do more pockets of microlearning throughout your day, then great! That counts too!
Your writing no longer needs to be mega essays and your speaking doesn’t have to require an hour staring at a screen.
Congratulations! Your learning just got flexible.
The next question is what you do with that time to make it functional and fun.
Let’s start with functional.
How to make microlearning actually work
The key is to recognise the compounding benefits of microlearning.
Sure, you’re unlikely to remember 5 words after just one intro session to them on your vocab app.
But when you revisit them later in the week, they’re a little more familiar. Gradually, they become more and more familiar through various microlearning sessions.
And rather than try to bunch all that learning into one intense session, you’ve slowly built stronger connections in the same amount of time.
Don’t get me wrong, intense study can work for some people sometimes, but what I’m noticing more and more are positive results coming from microlearning, due no doubt in part to the spacing effect.
There’s also something to be said for interruptions proving useful in remembering more. This is known as the Zeigarnik effect.
So really, the very nature of microlearning will make things work, and help you remember more of that language.
What you do in those moments of microlearning is the other missing piece to make things functional.
Although all language skills support all other skills, naturally if you have a focus on improving speaking right now, then it makes more sense to devote a few more microlearning sessions to speaking.
But how when the default is a minimum of a 30 minute lesson?
The answer is prompts.
Why Prompts Make Languages Fun Again
I love prompts for writing and speaking practice so much that I literally make a subscription to share them with you so you can embrace prompts too.
Why? Because a prompt is a springboard that can spark multiple ideas for what to write and speak.
You can use a prompt for longer writing and speaking sessions, absolutely.
But they’re also great for shorter practice too – ideal for microlearning moments throughout your day!
Perhaps you take one prompt and respond differently each day.
You could switch up one thing such as the pronoun, the verb, or the adjectives in the sentence.
Or you could give completely different answers considering how different people you know may respond.
Alternatively, you can use one prompt to spark a week’s worth of daily practice.
Each day, you go a different route and approach the prompt from a different angle, creating entirely different responses in the process.
What’s great about using prompts for microlearning rather than for a long session is that if you want to review, you can pick one to start with and really focus on getting it completely correct before moving onto the others if you have time.
Because remember, we’re talking about what to do when you think you don’t have extra time for anything else right now.
You don’t have to find time to review everything you create. Only review what makes sense.
How to Self-Review in Promptly
I recently added a brand new workshop recording to Promptly called How to Self-Review! Yay!
You’ll learn how to know what to review, as well as how to self-review quickly and easily.
Because, sure you can check with a teacher, exchange partner, or fluent speaker you know, but that’s not always an option.
Developing the skill of how to self-review will mean you’re never afraid of being either too critical or not critical enough again.
