Rethinking Education

It's hard to think differently about learning and education because we know the way we did it in school. As educators, we've learned so much more about how we all learn best over the past 50-75 years. Traditional k-12 education is failing kids because they want to do things the exact same way that it's always been done, but expect different results. It doesn't work. Scores for reading and math in our country are the lowest they've ever been. Innovation, research, and technology are celebrated in every area of our lives...except education. This is where we need to change our mindset about education.

Visual and auditory learning benefits students of all ages because they engage multiple senses, making information easier to process and retain. It is absolutely the best part of the job (as an educator of 24 years) to hear all of the testimonials of students who are talking about what they're learning, enjoying the learning process, never liked school and now they're constantly learning and diving deeper into things, etc.

Here are a few reasons why I love visual and auditory learning delivered in microlessons, over long, dry textbooks and long lectures, aka, the way we learned!

1. Enhanced Memory Retention: Visual and auditory stimuli engage different parts of the brain, such as the visual cortex for images and the auditory cortex for sounds. Combining these inputs creates stronger neural connections, improving recall. For example, seeing a diagram while hearing an explanation reinforces understanding and retention.

   
   

2. Increased Engagement: Visuals like videos or infographics and auditory elements like lectures or music are often more engaging than text alone. This keeps learners focused and motivated, reducing boredom and enhancing the learning experience.

   
   

3. Improved Comprehension of Complex Concepts: Visuals can simplify abstract or complex ideas (e.g., a graph showing data trends), while auditory explanations provide context or step-by-step guidance. Together, they make difficult topics more accessible and easier to grasp.

   
   

4. Real-World Applicability: Visual and auditory learning mimic real-life communication, where people rely on seeing (body language, presentations) and hearing (conversations, instructions). Practicing these methods prepares learners for practical scenarios, like workplace training or academic discussions.

   
   

5. Bite-Sized Knowledge Retention: Microlessons deliver concise, focused content in short bursts, making it easier to absorb and retain information.

If you're interested in doing high school and/or college differently, you're in the right place. Smarter by 1 Degree focuses on learning to mastery, instead of busywork. We help teens and adults earn an accredited Bachelor Degree from our partner universities. Same degree...less money!