Child-led Learning with Microlessons ❤️

Hi and welcome. I'm Cassandra, homeschool to three kids aged 4-9 and passionate about creative curriculum and learning reimagined.

How to do child-led learning with microlessons.

Today I want to talk about how to support child-led learning, especially in the early years where many kids are exploring a HUGE range of topics, and maybe only diving deep on a couple.

When our kids come to us with a genuine curiosity, or have a sudden interest in a topic, we want to lean into this. Their brain is CURIOUS. This means they want to make connections… they want more… they're primed for deep, meaningful learning. This is the BEST time to show up for them with some presence, listening, and the right level of information.

But how do we do this when kids ask 100 questions a minute? How do we really support them with a learning resource they'll actually be into? Here are a few ways:

Listen.

Ask them to tell you more. And listen. Let them get it wrong, let them go in circles. This is their active brain processing and integrating out loud. You don't have to provide an answer or even correct at this point. Humans get it wrong all the time. We are constantly correcting, updating and re-examining our understanding. So being wrong is nothing to worry about. The fact that they have a take, whether it's right/wrong, is beautiful. It means they're thinking.

Provide easy facts.

You have a super computer in your pocket. Use it! Model how you use technology to find information.

Grab a book.

Do you have a little library at your house? Suggest grabbing a book together. You might not find exactly what you seek, but with curiosity activated, learning will happen. Be open to what you discover! Forcing a learning objective can be extremely limiting.

Provide a microlesson.

What's a microlesson?

It's a personalized, highly-relevant learning resource meant to provide information in a small, precise chunk. It's different from how we usually view learning which is often defined ahead of time, semester-long, and has a set scope and sequence. Microlessons are how I've come to enrich child-led learning in my homeschool. I don't often provide them the second the need arises, but I will tell my child that I hear they have a need to understand, and that I'll show up for them. Tomorrow, usually.

How do you provide one?

This answer depends on you, your kid and your family's approach to learning. But essentially - you go to your favorite information source (internet, book, person) and either create or purchase a single lesson that is ridiculously specific to your kid's curiosity or need.

This is where LANGUAGE comes in handy.

Knowing what you're looking for is so helpful!

Microlesson: this is how the homeschool community is talking about supporting child-led learning. They’re lessons designed to meet the immediate need of the child, often delivered in 5-15 minutes or less. You can provide a sequence of microlessons, but this modularity allows them to be delivered when the child is ready, at just the right level.

Single Lesson: a single, contained lesson. Often longer in time but still meets a smaller learning goal.

Unit Lesson: a bunch of single lessons combined towards a larger learning goal

Activity: a single, contained activity (craft, movement, experiential)

Picture book: a book about the topic! Useful especially if you DON’T have a specific learning objective in mind.

YouTube Video: similar to a picture book in that you don't always know what you're going to get, but helpful for reinforcing or visualizing an idea.

Learning Path: This is like a unit lesson, but without the formalities that come along with it. It's like how an adult would learn. When we get interested in something, we don't go and buy a "unit lesson". We find a guru we love, we buy a book, we enroll in a course, or we use the internet and do a deep dive.

Sometimes a bunch of questions and interests pile up, and you need a series of microlessons (often to meet a larger need). You want something that goes deeper, but is still highly relevant to your learner. This is what I call a Learning Path. In my family, we all have personalized learning paths. Things we're working on. By choice. They’re like microlessons, but often contain 7 microlessons to be done over a week or two.

How to personalize it?

Buying curriculum has never worked well for me.

The steps from understanding the material to adapting them for my learners, only to be faced with underwhelming reception - were more than I had the bandwidth for.

So, I learned how to make my OWN learning resources that were high quality, tailored, and could be made in a matter of MINUTES.

I spent months creating an acronym that would help me remember the 9 important pieces of homeschool curriculum design. It’s called GLADE+SWAY. Each letter represents one of: your learner, you as the guide, your family, and the learning objective. With these 9 details, you can create a learning resource that fits your need like a glove.

Another approach:

Support your child in finding the right existing learning resource. Help them learn how to pick a mentor, or a course, or a book - that they'll enjoy.

Thanks, now go forth and “wow” your kids!

The first time I gave my oldest a personalized learning resource using my system, they literally cried happy tears. It's more than a resource, it's a message to your child that you see them, and support them. And that's priceless. I wish the same for you.

Thank you for reading!

I hope this was helpful. You can get free PDFs on creating personalized lessons, as well as how to use the system I made called GLADE+SWAY to ensure you get the best resource possible.