The Power of Microlearning in Professional Learning Communities

The school year is now in full swing; the back-to-school rush has settled, routines are in place, and teachers are into their rhythm. As lessons are in motion and routines become more familiar, the demands of professional learning can take a back seat to the daily requirements of being a classroom teacher. Classroom walk-throughs, coaching sessions, and professional learning community (PLC) support are underway; data have come in; and baselines have been established.

Now is the time to guide teachers in the proper implementation of the curriculum or responding to the needs of the data. When considering how to develop teachers, leaders must also consider teacher capacity; sometimes, this means being more mindful of what that support looks like. This fall season, as winter break approaches, this is a great time to reenergize teachers through microlearning instead of always having long, full-day sessions. Microlearning provides an opportunity for focused, bite-sized learning that can naturally fit into PLCs and staff meeting times already established. Before discussing some of the benefits of microlearning, let’s dig into what microlearning is.

Why Microlearning?

Microlearning is an instructional design approach that involves short, strategic sessions with clear goals established to provide learners with tailored, bite-sized learning opportunities. Cognitive load theory suggests that this approach, which involves sequencing learning chunks, can enhance retention. Effective microlearning provides clear outcomes, assesses learners’ knowledge prior to customizing their learning experience, is logically sequenced, and enhances learners’ retention and engagement.

The addition of technology provides leaders with an opportunity to create experiences that keep teachers learning, engaged, and connected, and models ways they can introduce the same concept to their learners using interactive tools, such as H5P or Nearpod, even during the busiest time of the year.

Microlearning isn’t a new concept, but it has recently gained increased popularity, particularly when integrated with technology or a specific learning management system to meet the diverse needs of learners. It allows you to create tailored, personalized learning experiences that can be developed in the form of modules, gamification, etc., to close some of the gaps in essential learning. This allows teachers and teams to get the learning they need at the level they need to move toward meeting school goals and maximizing time, as it can be done in short, concentrated moments. A 2025 Heliyon systematic review found that educators and leaders can leverage microlearning to enhance engagement and improve learning outcomes.

Foundational research on effective professional development (PD) by Linda Darling-Hammond and colleagues shows that learning over time can lead to stronger implementation than onetime sessions. Microlearning naturally supports this idea by providing continuous, focused learning opportunities. The perk is that it can take place within a moment of time already set aside. Making learning more relevant for participants can lead to increased engagement and positively impact their work. Teachers have the chance to build and learn new skills related to previous learning, which aligns with PD being ongoing for teachers to retain information and pushes against standalone PD. This can build and extend a culture of learning within your school or district.

How to Embed Microlearning Into PLCs and Staff Meetings

Creating microlearning sessions allows instructional leaders at the school and district levels to be innovative in their approach to strengthening learning. Let’s explore key considerations for leaders as they embed microlearning into their school.

The first option is to create microlearning sessions tailored to the needs of grade levels, content areas, and/or teachers. One key aspect of microlearning is making data-informed decisions when preparing the learning experience. The data points collected throughout the year (classroom walk-throughs, observation data, assessment data, student work samples, themes and feedback from coaching logs) along with teachers’ insights, naturally lead to opportunities to develop content. When instructional leaders integrate the use of data to design microlearning, it signifies responsive, rather than reactive, professional learning.

Adult learning theory suggests that when learning is relevant, offers choice, and is self-directed, adults learn most effectively. This aligns with microlearning as the sessions are short, engaging, and purposefully connected to their current practice or content area. Microlearning can be implemented through small group rotations—clustered by topics that are the highest ranked—or by providing digital learning spaces for teachers to participate in the learning.

Support Coaching Cycles and Encourage Reflection

Once the learning sessions are established, leaders can implement coaching cycles to reinforce microlearning. This sets the stage for built-in follow-up through continued coaching and practice rounds for teachers who are already engaged in coaching. Another important aspect of providing these learning opportunities is feedback. Give teachers a platform to provide their insights on the impact of the learning sessions and to reflect on their progress.

This is beneficial in two ways: You’ll be able to adjust learning sessions as needed, while teachers consider how their teaching practices have improved and been strengthened as a result of the microlearning sessions. Providing reflection opportunities can reinforce a culture of continuous improvement and help teachers view professional learning as an ongoing process to sustain learning.

Microlearning Builds Momentum and Growth

At this point in the year, reengaging teachers in meaningful professional learning is essential. Microlearning can build momentum rather than having teachers experience fatigue related to their learning. I encourage my fellow leaders who set the cadence of learning in a school or district to intentionally utilize the existing time in their schedules for meaningful teacher support.

When microlearning is designed to intentionally align with school goals, it promotes teacher growth while modeling the continuous learning that we hope students will experience in the classroom each day.