Micro-skills & micro-VCoLs: A learner’s guide
When we teach people how to learn the way their brains are designed to learn, two of their most common questions are: (1) What does micro mean?” and (2) “Why micro?” In this article, I address these questions and explore some implications.
What is a micro-VCoL™?
Micro-VCoLs are frequently iterated learning cycles that are embedded in everyday activities. They involve (1) setting a learning goal, (2) gathering information, (3) applying information, and (4) reflecting on outcomes (preferably with input from others). They are micro because they focus on the tiniest of skills.
What does “micro” mean?
As noted above, micro-VCoLs are designed to be embedded in everyday activities — practiced in-the-moment in contexts in which the skills they target are likely to be useful. They work best when they are repeated many times in a variety of situations. To make this possible, we break skills down into smaller pieces called micro-skills that can literally be practiced in seconds.
In the micro-VCoLing Skills map shown below, the smallest (most micro) skills are at the lowest level of the skill hierarchy. When first learning to micro-VCoL, these are the skills to practice.
Charactersitics of micro skills
- A micro-skill is any skill that can be practiced in real time.
- A micro-skill can be as small as simply noticing a specific feeling.
- A micro-skill can also be a component of a larger skill that can be practiced fairly independently of other aspects of that skill—such as monitoring signs of emotion while collaborating with co-workers.
To sum up, a micro-skill is best thought of as any skill that can be practiced in real time.
Why micro?
Micro-VCoLs are designed to recruit a mental mechanism called the dopamine-opioid cycle. The dopamine-opioid cycle rewards, motivates, and ultimately increases the efficiency and effectiveness of learning.
Because they are repeated many times, micro-VCoLs increase the number, diversity, and strength of “bridges” between neurons. We never forget how to walk, tie our shoes, or ride a bike, partly because of the sheer number, range, and strength of bridges that are created while practicing those skills.
These myriad bridges do something else for us. They make us agile. When it comes to learning, they create more places where we can plug in new knowledge, and when it comes to adaptation, their diversity creates conditions that allow us to generate more options for action.
You can begin building skills for micro-VCoLing by reading and trying out some of the activities in the following articles or by taking our course, ViP (VCoL in Practice).
How to articles
- VCoL in action: How to use micro-VCoLs to learn optimally on the fly
- VCoL in action: The micro-VCoL starter set
- VCoL in action: The active observer
Informational articles
- Everyone should have the opportunity to develop optimally
- VCoL in action: The many benefits of micro-VCoLing
- VCoL in action: Learning the way our brains are designed to learn
