A sage was once asked by his students, "Master, we ask you the truth and you tell us stories," to which the master replied, "the shortest distance between you and the truth is a story." So what are the things we learn from stories? Why do we hang on to every word that the character utters? Has the character changed our behavior? Suppose we replace the character with a lecturer, would you get the same automatic connection? Probably not.Are Our Brains Hardwired for Storytelling?An award winning storyteller who has performed for 6.5 million audiences and a prolific author who has written 34 books, Kendal Haven answers with a resounding yes! As a nationally recognized expert on story structure, Haven believes that our brains are hardwired for storytelling and that we're not just Home sapiens, we are Homo narratives. According to Haven, we prefer to remember stories better than non-story information. Kendal Haven on YOUR BRAIN ON STORIES: WHY YOU ARE HARDWIRED TO THINK AND LEARN THROUGH STORYTELLINGPeople are willing to pay to be engaged. You want to buy their attention. They want to pay with their attention to be engaged. Attention is the currency in the exchange of ideas and stories to ensure that they are engaged.Human beings have been telling stories for 100,000-300,000 years. The human species has relied on stories as a structure and has been used to convey and archive learning, history and wisdom. We are hardwired for stories and that's why it resonates with us.According to EEG recordings, from sensory organs (seeing, hearing, smelling, touch and taste), information goes through the neural story net and are converted to story form before it gets to the conscious mind.The story net automatically distorts and makes up its own version of the story to make sense of it. We need effective story structures to ensure the accuracy of the information being conveyed through the story.Listen to the FULL Audio for 40 minutes here.What Happens in the Brain During Storytelling Session?The brain is not in neutral when we hear stories, its gears are engaged. It's ready to make its own judgments and is synchronized with the storyteller. "When the woman spoke English, the volunteers understood her story, and their brains synchronized. When she had activity in her insula, an emotional brain region, the listeners did too. When her frontal cortex lit up, so did theirs. By simply telling a story, the woman could plant ideas, thoughts and emotions into the listeners' brains.", says Princeton researcher Uri Hasson. We know that the experiences presented in the stories can be experienced by them too. This automatic connection or synchronization between teacher and learner is seldom achieved through traditional teaching methods. What We Learn from Stories: Values, Morals and How to Live Our Lives Stories have characters placed in a specific situation. We easily identify with them and how they cope with the situation that they are in. What is the moral dilemma that they are facing? Did their values in life help in achieving moral clarity? In short, how the characters live their lives become an example for us. So it's not accidental when we use characters in a story, it's intentional. There is a foundational theory that characters represent the teaching moments. And it is in our use of these characters that we can impart knowledge. Since stories are that influential, isn't this the best way for educators to embed technical compliance and other learning content?What is the goal of the main character? Did he manage to accomplish his goals? Every story is resolved when the character fails or accomplishes his goal.Conflicts. What is keeping the character from getting what he wants?Risk and danger keep the excitement in the story. What can possibly go wrong?What is the struggle the main character is facing? What is the main character up against? This keeps us glued to the story.Details make the audience add pictures to the stories. Designers can effectively use details to insert learning content in the stories.Motive explains why the goal is important and makes us identify with the characters. We become the character so to speak and we pay attention.ReferencesEmma Pearse: 17 Life Lessons From 'Stories We Tell': Web: JUNE 24, 2013 Michale Gabriel: Learning and Growing Through Stories: April 1999: New Horizons for Learning   Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

How would you like to learn the way they do in the blockbuster movie "The Matrix"?  Was there ever a time when you just want to download a whole bunch of information-minus the hole at the back of your neck-into your brain and viola!? When you want to be a musician, you just plug that "musician plugin" and all of a sudden you're performing in a concert. When you want to be a programmer, you just download the latest "programmer plugin" and you're set to write the next killer app.According to Teemu Torvelainen in a newsletter entitled "What are nano-learning and m-learning?," "In the Matrix films, new skills were learned fast. Instructions on how to fly a helicopter, the characteristics of a motorcycle, and many other things were downloaded in a couple of seconds. This could be called nano-learning. Such training contents, or modules, are extremely short, take a minute or two, and focus on the point. Learning takes place at exactly the right moment and in the right place."What is Nano-Learning?There are different terms used in reference to it including micro-learning and small bites learning. However, it's all about breaking down huge chunks of information into small, bite-size, digestible morsels.  And this is not even a new idea. In the words of Elliott Masie, President of The Masie Center and the director of the Learning Consortium, "I am a nano-learner. What does that mean? Each day, I learn several things in small chunks. Really small chunks. A 90-second conversation with an expert triggers a huge 'a-ha.' A few moments concentrating on learning how something works leads to a new micro-skill. What's more, I am not that unusual. Most people acquire most of their knowledge in smaller pieces." The video above tells us the basic of micro-learning. Using the cake analogy, it gives us the idea that we should not learn anything that doesn't fit our brains. Hence, "don't eat anything larger than your head."The normal way people acquire knowledge is by learning in small steps. These bite-size morsels of information that we consume forms a broader and deeper connected knowledge.The idea is to take a learning unit that takes seconds to learn or do. Micro content should not take longer than 15 minutes.Make the information learned, a part of the daily routine. Acquiring this habit allows learning to really sink in.Incorporate micro-learning in the virtual learning environment. This way, you can impart knowledge the micro-learning way too.As it turns out, nano-learning is actually how people normally learn. It's not an event, a lesson, or a content, but rather a way of using the smallest ideas to get things done or get results. Knowledge is cumulative. This means that what we know at this point in our lives is just the sum total of all the micro-learnings in our entire lifetime.How to Empower Your Organization Through Nano-LearningAlthough the Matrix analogy is fictional, nano-learning is not. It has been effectively used in various scenarios to empower organizations. Companies have been using this technique to introduce new products or a new way of dealing with customers.Another way nano-learning is used is in the creation of ads. You do not have the luxury of lengthy explanation about how your product can improve people's lives. You only have a few seconds to grab viewer's attention, so making use of that small window is crucial. The video above showed how companies can systematically use nano-learning to empower their employees without sucking the life out of the learning experience. There are four stages in a learning journey namely, Prepare, Equip, Apply, Reactivate and Support. Prepare-four things occur at this stage namely Introduction, Orientation, Alignment and Inspiration.Equip-another set of four occurs at this stage and they are known as Course, Campaign, Coaching and Cohort.Apply-the four most important factors here are Practical Factors, Checklist, Certification and Active Coaching.Reactivate-at the reactivation stage, the fact that the brain forgets a lot easily is taken into consideration and that's why four factors are important at this stage namely, Recap, Reflect, Reinforce and Repeat.Support-taking into account that we can't contain everything in our head, at the support stage four factors are also taken into consideration. These factors are Performance Support, Help Desk, Expert Network and Community.From the rest of the video, you can see that micro learning is used to deliver content in all stages of the learning journey. What Does this Mean for Designers?Most instructional designers are not aware of the power that nano-learning packs in. It gives you the opportunity connect to your audience in an instant! No need to bore them with details, just deliver the meat of your topic in a creative and effective way. "We have a unique opportunity to stretch our thinking about the size of our average learning project. Right now, most learning modules start at 15 minutes and often cover hours or days of involvement. But most learning moments are teachable moments. Malcolm Knowles described the perfect teachable moment as the intersection of a small question with a great small answer. That is at the heart of nano-learning." Elliott Masie added.  For your audience, it gives them the most of what you have to share without being bogged down with the details. It keeps them interested and connected to you. In short, nano-learning is a win-win situation for both you and your audience.References:Elliott Masie: Nano-Learning: Miniaturization of Design: Dec. 28, 2005  Teemu Torvelainen: What are nano-learning and m-learning?: Nov. 17, 2007Cognitive Advisors: Nano-CoachingLiz Stinson Design: An App That Tells the Fascinating Stories Behind 5 Fonts: Web: Sept. 24, 2014Kerri Simmons: 10 Things You Should Know About Nano-Learning: Less Is More Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Have you ever wished learning can be fun while at the same time in-depth? The current dilemma is that if you want to go deeper on the subject, you have to weather through the boredom created by traditional information delivery. But if you want to go the way of fun, well, you just have to scratch the surface. This shouldn't be the case! There has to be a way to learn and have fun at the same time! The good news for you-there is! Read on!  Following the Characters and their StoriesWe all love to follow people's lives because we want to know what they will do next. Isn't this the normal way we learn? Isn't this the reason why we love the "Modern Family," "Jon Stewart," "Saturday Night Live," "Dancing with The Stars" or "Downtown Abbey?"Episodic Learning AKA, Thematic learning is the natural way we learn. Since childhood, we immediately learn to follow life's episodes as it unfolds before us. What's daddy and mommy up to this time? Are they having a fight? Whose birthday is it? These are some of the episodes that we naturally follow at home and in the community around us.  In the words of John F. Kihlstrom in his article "How Students Learn -- and How We Can Help Them," "Episodic knowledge is essentially autobiographical memory, for particular events that have a unique location in space and time."Then all of a sudden we join the classroom and we are bombarded with an avalanche of information which we can't easily digest! Wait a minute, this is not the usual way we learn! In one word-boring...According to Bethany Bodenhamer in a blog post in Lesson Planet titled "Themes vs. Timelines" "Dates, names, numbers, and places are the facts that young historians are often required to memorize in their various history courses. Therefore, that is generally how and what teachers teach. However, what if there was a more interesting, intriguing, and captivating way to teach these same facts - a way in which students are taught the basics at the same time that they are making connections, discovering themes, and thinking at a higher level? This is all possible by teaching thematically." In short, what if there is a better way to go in-depth while avoiding boredom? Advantages of Episodic LearningEpisodic Learning enables learners to go deeper into the topic without being bugged down by the barrage of information coming in. Consider the following natural advantages: Heightens Curiosity Curiosity is the currency in learning. When you run out of it, you can't just expect to continue absorbing any kind of knowledge. The good thing with episodic learning is that it heightens our natural curiosity about what happens next. The "cliff hangers" that ends an episode in a story make us wanting for more episodes to come. Hence, learning becomes a natural process.Allows ReflectionThese cliff hangers make us mull over what's possibly going to happen next in the story. What will the main character do in this situation? Can he still pull more tricks from his sleeves? If so, will it work this time? These are some of the reflective questions that come to mind because you are left hanging by the last story episode. Enables Possibility ThinkingThis mulling over enables you, the learner, to become a possibility thinker. "Thinking out of the box" is a learned trait in traditional learning but it comes naturally in episodic story based learning. It enables you to think in terms of "what if" instead of "what is."Opens Up Other Scenarios Now that you have considered other possibilities by thinking out of the box, other scenarios open up. A world of possibilities is all of a sudden available to you instead of just copying existing ones. The well-trodden path is not always the best path. True learners try the path least traveled.Allows Open DiscussionOpened up scenarios allow like-minded learners to discuss them openly. There are no stupid ideas, all are given equal air-time in the discussion forums. Open discussions create an escalation of the available ideas contributed from all learners. Since all feel welcome to contribute, all possibilities are exhausted and ideas are collated to form a unified solution.More Opportunities for DesignersThis openness allows designers to insert more content pertinent to the stories. The possibilities are endless and you are not bound to any specific format. The only limit to content creation is your creativity.I’d love to hear your thoughts about this topic. Sound off in the comments section! References: Bethany Bodenhamer: Themes vs. Timelines: Lesson Planet: May 10, 2014 John F. Kihlstrom: How Students Learn -- and How We Can Help Them: Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley: March 8, 2011   Margaret Rhodes: A New Way to Tell Stories That Outlive the Media's Attention Span: Wired: Feb. 25, 2015  Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Are you perceiving symptoms of your organization losing knowledge and expertise? Oftentimes, top executives are not aware of the wealth of knowledge that's lost as experienced employees retire and carry their expertise with them."In the U.S., roughly 10,000 people reach retirement age every day. And though not everyone who turns 62 or 65 retires right away, enough do that some companies are trying to head off the problem...Losing veteran workers is a challenge, even for big companies like General Mills...But the older-worker brain drain is a big concern for industries like mining and health care." says Yuki Noguchi in her article "Businesses Try To Stave Off Brain Drain As Boomers Retire.""Not only would a huge number of employees become eligible for retirement in the next five to 10 years, the company had done little to retain the wealth of institutional knowledge they would be taking with them. From the intricacies of key client relationships to mainframe computer languages no longer being taught in school, many experienced workers possessed critical know-how that, if lost, would be costly-if not impossible-for the company to replace." says Douglas MacMillan in his article "Issue: Retiring Employees, Lost Knowledge."For some organizations, systematically collecting stories is key to preserving knowledge and expertise. What is your organization doing to preserve its brain? What steps are being taken to retain wisdom and add more vitality to new knowledge?Collecting Stories - The StoryCorp StoryThe winner of the million-dollar TED Prize 2015, StoryCorps is a company that is in the business of collecting stories. They would bring together people who knew each other well and put them inside a recording booth for 40 minutes. For the allotted time, husband and wife, mother and son, father and daughter would have a real conversation which would dig deeper into the stories that they have inside."StoryCorps grew out of a very a simple idea: we wanted to provide Americans of all backgrounds and beliefs with the opportunity to record their life stories. We built a soundproof booth in Grand Central Terminal and invited people to come in pairs and interview each other about their lives, with the help of a trained StoryCorps facilitator. Soon after starting the project, I knew we had created something pretty powerful. Many StoryCorps participants tell us that the forty minutes they spend inside our booth are among the most meaningful minutes of their lives." - Dave Isay, Founder of StoryCorpsSome of StoryCorps' Top StoriesBelow are samples of some of the most compelling StoryCorps stories. These are real people who lived to tell their tales. View these videos to appreciate the power of real stories in conveying ideas and connecting to audiences.Miss Devine Marine Lance Cpl Travis Williams For trainers, designers and learning leaders, stories become a library for learning. What you have at your disposal are resource persons who really live through the stories. This carries an unquestionable authority because these are their stories and they are living witnesses to what transpired. When Marine Lance Cpl. Travis Williams talked about his experience in Iraq, nobody can question his account because he was there. Surefire Steps in Collecting Stories and Transferring KnowledgeNow that you know the importance of collecting stories, you must be wondering how in the world are you going to start doing it? The good news is, you already know how to collect stories! The bad news is, you're not aware you're doing it. We subconsciously collect stories all the time without us knowing that we are doing it. We talk to our colleagues about their lives, hobbies, favorite food, past relationships and we store these stories in our memories. Every conversation that we have with another person is a story in the making. Here are a few steps to make your story collecting process more systematic:1. Talk to people You can't just expect people to come flocking to you with their stories, you have to talk to them. You have to show interest in their lives and make them feel that even their most boring stories are important to you. When people sense your interest in their stories, they will feel important and will open up. Stories will just come pouring out.2. Ask open-ended questions Asking categorical questions is a good trial technique but it's the quickest way to kill a story. On the other hand, open-ended questions open the mind and scours the memory for stories.StoryCorps has some sample questions that would make the story flow. 3. Listen to people Dave Isay added that listening is a form of generosity. Don't pull out your smartphone when interviewing somebody! This is being disrespectful and you will instantly cut off your connection with the person you are talking to. When you listen, you can make thoughtful follow-up questions and follow the thread of the story closely.4. Training leaders and experienced workers on passing stories It's easy to assume many experienced workers know how to train, coach, mentor and pass stories. To transfer knowledge effectively, you can train experienced workers to be more effective with these skills areas. According to Jim Rottman, head of American Express' workforce transformation group, "One of the things that we've really focused on is paying as much attention to the person who's transferring the knowledge as to the person who's receiving [it]... That means getting phased retirees to learn new teaching tools like 'learning maps,' or visual representations of systems and processes, and interactive media like wikis, instant messaging, and audio posted on a company intranet." 5. Create a story database Keep the stories that you have collected in a storage where you can easily retrieve them for future use. In this day and age of audio and video recording it's a good idea to keep your interviews in an extra hard drive or a cloud storage as files grow in size. This way, you can access them anywhere.Join a Beta Project on Small Bites LearningAt Vignettes Learning, we have different software models to help organizations build story-based lessons, create engaging content and assist your organization in collecting, storing and sharing stories and experiences.The screen below is an example of a Small Bites Learning. Contact Ray Jimenez to be part of the Study Group. With Small Bites Learning, learners, trainers, designers, workers and professionals can publish stories and ask their teams to share their own experiences. Small Bites Learning is easy to prepare and requires less time. Hence, it allows more time for participants to actively contribute and provide feedback.Here are some more samples: I’d love to hear your thoughts about this topic. Sound off in the comments section!  References: Rebecca Smith: StoryCorps Wins $1 million TED Prize: [March 11, 2015]TED Staff: Announcing our TED Prize 2015 winner: Dave Isay of StoryCorps: [November 17, 2014]Dave Isay: 7 StoryCorps stories that Dave Isay just can't get out of his head: [November 17, 2014]Yuki Noguchi: Businesses Try To Stave Off Brain Drain As Boomers Retire: [January 15, 2015]Douglas MacMillan: Issue: Retiring Employees, Lost Knowledge: [August 20, 2008]Vanessa Chase: Story Collecting Tip - How To Collect Donor StoriesRay Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Learners may express ideas differently,  not to our liking or not conforming to the trainer's goals. But there is a pattern, which is the key to understanding what they are saying.Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Life is majestic from all views. I've seen clouds from both sides now, and they remind of life devine. Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

"People are social beings, and our brains are wired to connect with each other," Matthew D. Lieberman writes in his book, Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect. (2013). However, when it comes to traditional practices related to training and learning programs, we tend to slam on the brakes regarding social interaction. We focus on content delivery and do not encourage learners to interact with others through online and virtual tools.The Common ComplaintsDesigners and trainers who participate in my workshops, both online and in face-to-face settings, have these common complaints regarding social learning - which makes use of social media as part of the learning experience:• "What if learners don't want to interact?"• "What if they are so busy, they have no time for a discussion?"• "What if top management frowns on social conversations as undermining work and frivolous?"• "Learners are afraid to be wrong, offend or reveal themselves to others." What seems to be the root of these complaints? Why is there a sense that difficulties will arise using social interaction as part of our training and learning programs?"Friends You Haven't Met Yet"A recent experience during a visit to USC Center for Creative Technologies helped me tie a bow on this issue. The realization came after a closer review of a huge project called "Friends You Haven't Met."First, some background: I visited with Andrew Gordon, Ph.D., a leader of the USC/ICT specializing in story and narrative research and artificial intelligence initiatives. He was one of 45 doctoral students under Roger Schank at Northwestern University. We spoke about ICT's  Story Web Blog Project. Through the algorithms his team developed with funding from the U.S. Army, they compiled 33 million web blogs that use personal stories. The trainers from the Army selected stories that were useful in their leadership programs. While we were in conversation, Dr. Gordon mentioned the work of Chris Wienberg, a doctoral student.Chris Wienberg, with others, produced a documentary, "Friends You Haven't Met Yet." The documentary interviews some of the bloggers who were discovered in their research on the Story Blogs.Click here to watch videoAfter meeting with Dr. Gordon and viewing the documentary, I concluded that social learning ought to be story sharing. Personal Stories Versus Knowledge StoriesSome blogs are much more popular than others because the bloggers share stories about their crises,successes, trials and discoveries. Initially, they are about sharing their daily lives with close family members. Eventually, bloggers discover even those who are just witnesses or even strangers begin to visit and interact with them.The very nature of sharing personal stories is cathartic not only for bloggers, but for readers as well. Without even knowing each other, both establish a bond based on a shared story. This is because stories are universal and appeal to the heart. Thus, they resonate with people from all walks of life.In training and learning, we tend to be nuts and bolts, fact-based, right-and-wrong orientated, rather than sharing authentic and genuine stories from people's experiences as a way to enrich learning.But how can we use social interaction online to turn it into story sharing that supports social learning?To turn conversations and sharing into usable stories, it works best to ask:• "What did you go through?"• "How did you do it?"• "What would you do again or avoid in the future?"These questions encourage experience and story sharing. Note, they are the opposite of asking, "What do you think?", "What is your opinion?" or "What is the right answer?"They Will Find You"I'm surprised that someone I don't know would visit and read my blog," one blogger remarked. Bloggers wonder why so many people read their blogs even if they are not their friends. There is no expectancy that someone, aside from close family friends, would even read their postings. They are surprised that strangers start contacting them and replying to their posts.In many social learning environments, learners tend to expect immediate and multiple group responses. Failing to get a good response sends a signal that the learner is less engaged or is not contributing a good idea. They (supposedly?) end up disinterested, feel discouraged and quit. However, this view is flawed. We need to encourage our learners to think like someone attending a cocktail party. They get to meet a number of people, until they find a person with whom they share mutual interests. Then, conversation ensues. Unbeknown to learners, the people in a social learning situation are not total strangers. They happen to be engaged and are having a lively and interesting conversation with another person. With this model in mind, we offer two recommendations:Longer time span. Create a social learning environment that lasts longer. If we implement the social learning aspect to accompany a class and it starts on Monday and ends on Friday, there will be no opportunities to build connections, establish rapport and nurture relationships. Learners will be less inclined to make the investment in time and emotional relationships. Develop a spaced-out interaction, maybe a few weeks.Meaningful conversations. Remind learners, the goal is not to have a relationship with the whole class but to look for meaningful sharing of ideas and stories with a few people within the group - those with similar interests. Social learning is a not a scattergun approach to learning; "it is intimate and selective." I Do, Therefore I Learn and Gain RespectViewing the story sharing documentary reminded me that social interaction and sharing are indeed a social and psychological contract between the person sharing a story and the followers or recipients.Social learning is shallow when it merely focuses on the trainer's need to frame the conversations to suit the content. This is quickly apparent to learners. To engage them, turn the tables and ask learners to talk abouttheir interest areas.But how do you align their discussions with your content? How do ensure they don't segue into topics outside of the immediate lesson?Consider the following ideas:Strong positions. Ask learners to put a stake on the group and pursue a topic that they are passionate about. Encourage them to gain depth by researching and presenting dissenting views, challenging assumptions and taking a strong position or changing positions as they make discoveries. Many learners contribute ideas by posting "me too" and superficial "hi and hello" comments. They fail to engage others because they don't show seriousness and strong intent. They don't make it a passionate pursuit. Encourage learners to ask penetrating questions and provide insights. Credibility and reputation are important. Advise learners that having good conversations with others or having many strangers visit and benefit from their postings reflects on their credibility and reputation. Instead of their being like a fruit fly buzzing from one conversation to another, an in-depth conversation on one issue builds respect and gains admiration from others. Allow real-life pursuits. To help learners align their discussion pursuits with your content focus, allow them to relate a story, an experience or a real-life application regarding your content. Learners' postings may veer away from your core topic, but they have done so to pursue an interest. Encourage them. Use your content as a trigger to help them recall real-life situations. Avoid limiting their discoveries by stubbornly adhering only to your academic objectives.SummarySocial learning ought to be story sharing. Learners learn by participating in small, focused and meaningful conversations. It is only through deeper pursuits of personal interests and sharing their discoveries with the group that learners develop credibility, reputation and respect. It is this degree of application that makes social learning a story-sharing medium. It is by story sharing that learners really absorb the lessons. It is by this approach they "Find Friends They Haven't Met Yet."I’d love to hear your thoughts about this topic. Sound off in the comments section!  References: USC Center for Creative Technologies Matthew D. Lieberman, Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect (2013) Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Mark Twain has been credited with saying:"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter."ChallengeIt's ironic that it may take a little more time and care to get content, such as a letter, reduced to its essentials.  The challenge, then, in developing learning is what should be in your small bites content. How do you create these smaller chunks of learning?What is Small Bites Content?Small bites content is small, standalone, useful and accessible content. More importantly, it is learningcontent needed instantly for a micro task or activity at work. Types of content can be a single word, emoji, a sign, a single image or series of works and ideas [L1] (Hug, 2007). For our discussion, we focus on a series of words and images that help learners to learn a single unit of content.Learners ConsumeIn this age of shorter attention spans, multi-tasking, big data and the increased speed of business, the demand for small bites learning is growing.  The cautionary question from a learning designer's point of view is "How small should the small bites be to ensure that learners learn?" This is a biased question. It assumes that small bites content must be constructed  to help learners. The other, more productive side to this questions is, "How do learners actually use small bites content to perform on the job?" It presumes that the learner consumes the small bites content; therefore, the learner is the decision maker regarding the usage of small bites content. Pay Attention to How Learners Consume ContentThe size of small bites content is defined by the way learners consume content. Most likely, this takes place while they're on the job and trying to complete a task. Designers, on the other hand, want to think oflearners being in a formal setting, such as a classroom during eLearning, within a controlled environment. "My Tasks Now" - Content Should Include Diagnostic Headers and Footers"My Tasks Now" mode is a diagnostic process. Learners and workers are trying to analyze the requirements, problems and opportunities surrounding their tasks. When the learners are faced with the tasks, they ask diagnostic questions (Schank, 2011).These questions include:What's the outcome?What do I know about this?How should I proceed?How would I know it is done right?By asking these questions, learners are calculating in their minds what the content is, how much there is and when and where to get it.  Finally, how should they apply the content? Depending on the learners' experience and the complexity of the tasks, they may already have the skills and knowledge needed to apply to the tasks at hand. Let's call them the confident learners.On the other hand, if you have some less confident learners who want to learn more, they proceed to think through their experiences and/or try to recall prior experiences and knowledge. In this instance small bites content becomes invaluable. To be of maximum use, small bites content must contain diagnostic headers and footers. What are diagnostic headers and footers? They are elements of the small bites content that address the four diagnostic questions. They trigger the automatic, instant and unconscious mental skills that aid people to survive, cope and succeed in everyday life. Essentially, these are self-efficacy requirements of learning (Bandura, 1986).Diagnostic headers (before the content)1. What's the outcome?2. What do I know about this?3. How should I proceed?Diagnostic footers (after the content)4.  How will I know if it's done right?"Just Enough Content" - Content Covers Basics, Gaps and InsurancesThe less confident learners with only some exposure to and experience with the tasks at hand may need a lot of knowledge, skills and practice. The classic solution is to train them on the entire scope of the content to ensure they have the knowledge. The trouble with this thinking is that learners may not recall the knowledge later, or have not had the opportunity to apply or practice the skills needed.So, the functions of the header and footer are to help the learner recall prior knowledge and skills.  And at this point, answers to the header questions show learners the knowledge and skills they may need. This content - knowledge and skills - is just enough to immediately satisfy learners and help them do the tasks. Just Enough Content Questions1. What is the basic element, function, feature, operation, or other similar items?2. What is the gap? When does it fail or succeed?3. What is the insurance, "must-do" or "fail-safe" action to make sure it works? Story as Organic Delivery of Small Bites ContentAlthough we describe an efficient way to place ideas in the right sequence as suggested above in Illustration 2, the actual delivery of the small bites content may greatly vary. The header, content and footer may not always follow the sequence. They may be shuffled. What is essential is that the three elements are consistently present in a small bites content. The shuffled sequence is dictated by keeping the organic nature of the story. The header and footer questions are necessary to bring to life, experiences and stories from the learners' point of view. For example, when learners are asked, "What are the consequences?" a story is brought forward in their minds. Hence, small bites are needed to be delivered in a story or experience- based format.Another advantage of using stories and experiences as a delivery format for small bites is that we can embed content in the story. This means we can use the story to help learners' discovery through the story. In illustration no. 2, the content surface from the learners' memories, or they are led to think of the secure signature even without spelling it out the content in detail. This is possible because the diagnostic questions raise the prior knowledge or experience along with the content.Hangover Joe - Chainsaw Safety ExampleObserve the series of frames below and identify the diagnostic questions (header and footer), the use of a story and the embedded content in the story. SummarySmall Bites Content uses a combined structure with diagnostic questions, headers, footers, embedded content and is delivered through an organic story. Small Bites Content is inherently short, a small learning point and a standalone, which allows learners to act on the content, even if the content is on a micro level.NotesTheo Hug (Didactics of Microlearning: Concepts, Discourses and Examples Nov 2007) describes various levels of micro content. He illustrates that macro learning can be achieved by different levels of meso learning including micro learning.Roger Shank (Teaching Minds: How Cognitive Science Can Save Our Schools Oct 28, 2011) defines the action of diagnostic is learning action. Diagnosing is an effective learning mode.Albert Bandura: Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control Paperback - February 15, 1997I'd love to hear your thoughts! Let me know what you think in the comments section. Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Research by Daniel M. Wegner and Adrian F. Ward featured in Scientific American asked people to rate how smart they felt (cognitive self-esteem) while using Google. The Googlers felt they were smarter (more intelligent) because they had access to the Internet."Some people feel more intelligent than others because they access the Internet for information."Wegner and Ward says that "We are starting to know less but think we know more." They suggest that we are seeing people now who include Google as part of their cognitive tool set, even to the point they can't distinguish Googling something from actually knowing something. On the other hand, research has shown that using Google does not necessarily make us dumber, which we might think, but in fact smarter. Furthermore, intelligence is becoming less about memory and more about knowing how to access and connect external information.The research of Wegner and Adrian, as well as the studies of Dr. Gary Small from University of California Los Angeles, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, made me ponder what impact their findings have on the way we design and deliver learning.Intelligence - memorization, recall and applicationWe can define intelligence in many different ways, but our current definitions revolve around people's abilities to store, learn and apply information and knowledge. It appears that the focus is on people's capacities and less on the tools they use. There is a presumption that we only use tools to do work. And, yet, it is a common experience to see people do tasks better, faster and with higher quality because of the tools they use.Are people more intelligent because they have memorized how a word is spelled, or if they know how to find the word's definition in dictionary.com (or even ask someone), or is it both?Internet as brain's external drive; all knowing brainWe create tools, and tools recreate us, states John Seely Brown. Betsy Sparrow says, "We think of the Internet first when faced with a difficult problem." And Wegner says, "The Internet has become the external drive for our memories."In most of our learning, training and elearning design and delivery, we focus on the efficiencies (lots of content) and scale (rapid and fast delivery) of retention and memory, and application of the knowledge acquired. I suspect, however, that we have missed helping learners to be "smarter" (extending intelligence) by not expanding their skills and knowledge for using the Internet or in-house networks and tools to find additional, supplementary, current, updated or other knowledge related to the learning topic. While these may be related to the subject, we are unable to include them in our design. If we are missing this opportunity, what do we do?I must mention here that there are researchers, such as Val Hooper and Channa Herath,Sherry Turkle and others, who raise concerns about the impact of the Internet on our ability to concentrate, and that we may be losing meaningful relationships. Additionally, thought leaders Jane Bozarth, Clark Quinn, George Siemens  and many others have been espousing open and networked learning environments.Extending intelligence of learners and workersFor most of us in the trenches, there are incremental, as well as big and bold steps we can take to extend the hard drives of learners' brains. 1. Unique Content VS. Open ContentReview the nature and scope of your content. What content do you have to provide because your lesson is the only source of that knowledge? Separate this from the content that is available through other sources. For example: If you are explaining a technical setting of a valve specific to your particular conditions, this might be content so unique you must develop and present it. On the other hand, other related content might be available from suppliers, reference guides and documentation, reported cases, experiences, etc. It might be best for learners to discover and acquire this content through your internal networks or on the Internet. Simply point them to where it's already available.A similar situation is possible in compliance learning. You need to develop your own lessons around the unique requirements of your policies and procedures. However, references to policies and procedures are usually published on HR websites. Legal rulings and legislative guidelines are provided on government agencies' websites. Why duplicate it?  2. Frictionless Learning and Work Environment Helping learners to expand their brains' hard drives also requires that our learning environment be frictionless. This means we don't put up barriers or speed bumps to quick learning and finding answers while doing work. These barriers may take the form of a forced sequence of lessons, big lessons (more than 3 minutes), inter-dependent lessons, one-time sitting learning, knowledge checks and testing. Many argue that these traditional tasks are necessary for effective learning. Moreover, training departments feel they need a way of controlling the learning process. These very notions are often the cause of friction, slowness and the unresponsiveness of many learning programs. Furthermore, these are also the key causes of boredom, disengagement and low completion rate of lessons.How do we remove the friction? Create small bites and micro-learning. Make it so small that even if you add a knowledge check, it is painless. Make the small bites learning independent units so they are fluid, like water, and can flow between work and learning and around the lives of the learner/worker.3. Bringing Back Experience (Brain's Hard Drive)In the typical lesson-learning mode, learners learn concepts or knowledge away from the real world. With open learning that searches, discovers, finds and connects with others online, we increase learners' ability to gain experience surrounding the knowledge. Connecting outward accelerates their understanding of the lessons. To expand the brain's hard drive even further, we ask learners to document, journal, share and post their discoveries back to the lessons. Incorporate the consistent practice of asking learners to post, comment and share their experiences. The Learners Still Control the Brain Finally, although our reference to the brain's hard drive might seem to be located out on the Internet, the learning process is actually right inside the learner's brain. The learner is still in control of what to learn, discover, apply and to use for success on the job. The hard drive is only a storage device, and until that storage can do the thinking for the learner, let's keep doing better in our design to adapt to these new tools.Make your design and delivery even more an environment for learners to be smarter.Let's help them to be smarter. And if using the Internet makes them smarter, let's incorporate it! ReferencesHere are some studies in recent years that discuss how the Internet (represented by Google) is changing the way people think:Nicholas Carr, 2008 : Is Google making us stupid? The use of Google affects how we think, making us reliant on synthetic information rather than on our own concentration and critical thinking.UCLA Study, 2008: Google (and by extension of the Internet) activates more brain areas in people who are comfortable with computer use. Compared to straightforward reading (as with books or magazines) reading through the Internet requires decision-making and judgment (for example when choosing among search results for relevance).Sparrow, Loi, Wegner, 2011: "1) We think of the Internet first when faced with a difficult problem 2) we are less likely to remember something if we believe we can look it up online later, but 3) we are more likely to remember where to find the information (but not the information itself) if we believe it is saved somewhere." The latter is called transactive memory and considers the Internet as an extension of a person's knowledge.Wegner 2013: Knowing where to find information is becoming more important than actually knowing it. We think we know more when in reality, we know less.Hooper and Herath, 2014: Reliance on online sources has negative effects on concentration, comprehension, absorption and recall.Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Traveling is a painful process, even when one is having a vacation. I must admit though, that traveling especially at a time when I am less interrupted, like while on the plane or at the airport or just in a restaurant, allows me to reflect. The break from the routine becomes a gift -  a time for reflection. I always look forward to these contemplative moments.    Why Spend Time Reflecting? Here are some of the top reasons why reflection is important:• It deepens awareness of one's learning. In the words of Rachel Ong, "Learning is not just a process of accumulation of information. Instead it is about how the new knowledge that the learner encounters is integrated with his existing schemata of prior knowledge." This is particularly true when reflections provide meaning to the process one is engaged in.• Realize that while you learn a thing or two from experience, you actually learn more when you reflect on it. While it may sound a bit extreme, the words of John Dewey come to mind when he said, "We do not learn from experience...we learn from reflecting on experience."• Reflection automatically creates a story out of your own experience, making it easy for your brain to understand it. This is supported by various studies. In fact, this was pointed out in one of our previous tips that the brain lights up and gets pumped up when we tell or listen to good stories. Researchers in Spain found out that compared to a plain, straight-laced, bullet-point presentation, using a story in presentations activates more areas of the brain. Multiple sections of the subjects' brains were lighting up as though they were experiencing the story in real life!One compelling reason I love reflection is the joy I experience when I am in a reflective mode. It's a time when things seem to coalesce and become clearer. This excites me to take action. The Importance of Journal KeepingJournaling is key to my reflection. I write my thoughts in all sorts of places and sometimes, I forget where I wrote them. I have a Moleskine - but I don't keep one. Then I also jot down notes in Evernote and discussion rooms and mostly on the wall.So, I begin to suspect that journaling may have very little to do with writing and going back to your notes. Rather, it frees my mind to continue reflecting.I am guilty of being so disorganized - but I am good at  getting the most out of my reflections. Here are some advantages that I discovered about journaling.• It forces you to reflect on the day's event and put it in writing. This "hard copy" of the day's experience preserves the learning that has taken place and saving it from ourfickle memories.• Journal entries make you more aware of the learning that has taken place. Not only  that, it also makes you cognizant about the kind of learning that has happened.• Journaling aids you in the knowledge construction since it helps you relate priorknowledge to new information. It's like adding new bricks on top of old ones that are already well connected together.Reflection as a Learning ToolThe gift of reflection is an indispensable learning tool. People from all walks of life; young and old, educated or not, use reflection to make sense of the environment in which we live in and we do it without even being aware of it. It is an automatic tool that the brain uses to make sense of experience.The process of reflection is both a conscious and subconscious act on our part and we use it to gain more insight into our daily lives. Without this ability, we can all say goodbye to in-depth learning because it just can't happen. Reflection gives us the ability to drill that knowledge in!Stand back and think of a situation. What have you learned? What new perspective haveyou gained? Are you able to make sense of your experiences? Are you able to construct meaning and knowledge that guide actions in practice? All that is possible because of ourability to reflect. Telling Stories as a Form of ReflectionOne way to do reflection is to ask another person their own version of your own story or experience. This is how most of my deeper discoveries happen - by listening to others' stories and how they relate to mine.In another tip, I mentioned about StoryCorps--the winner of the million-dollar TED Prize 2015. It is a company that is in the business of collecting stories. They would bring together people who know each other well and put them inside a recording booth for 40 minutes. For the allotted time, husband and wife, mother and son, father and daughter would have a real conversation which would dig deeper into the stories that they have inside.3. Technologies that Help Enhance ReflectionI mentioned Evernote, right? Nowadays, we don't lack the tools that enhance reflection.As a matter of fact, technology-facilitated learning is already mainstream. Companies and organizations are hard pressed in coming up with BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) policiesso that workers can now freely bring with them their own devices. The same thing happens in the educational front. According to Katrina Strampel and Ron Oliver, "Instructors, therefore,are faced with two challenges: implementing technology and increasing reflective learning."The reason behind this is that, technology enhances reflection and therefore, learning.A few examples are:• Wikis• Blogs• Online forums• Digital storytellingThe Digital Storytelling Association provides the following definition of digital storytelling: it is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling. Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative and voice together, thereby giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights.Centeredness of Self and LearningWhat happens during reflection is allowing our minds to crystallize many of our ideas, experiences, discoveries, conflicts and gaps in knowledge into a discernable and understandable set of knowledge. I think that reflection is a precursor to learning and action.I remember what Picasso said,References Alaa Sadik: Digital storytelling: a meaningful technology-integratedapproach for engaged student learning: http://classroomweb20.pbworks.com/f/digital+storytelling.pdf Rachel Ong: The role of reflection in student learning: a study of its effectiveness in complementing problem-based learning environments: http://www.myrp.sg/ced/research/papers/role_of_reflection_in_student_learning.pdf  Helen Barrett and Jonathon Richter: Reflection4Learning: https://sites.google.com/site/reflection4learning/why-reflect   Ray Jimenez: Your Brain Prefers Interactive Stories: Not Lectures: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs130/1011065179978/archive/1118336118393.html     Ray Jimenez: Is Your Organization Losing Its Brain? Collecting Stories to Transfer Knowledge: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs130/1011065179978/archive/1120493392728.html   Katrina Strampel and Ron Oliver: Using Technology to Foster Reflection in Higher Education: School of Communications and Contemporary Arts, Edith Cowan University: http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/strampel.pdf  Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning