Block Ford

Block Ford”

I received a complaint not too long ago from someone who felt that I should teach “how to write a book” in one big step. It got me to thinking about why you need to split large processes into little bite-sized pieces. And I realized that we never explain that we need to do it. We just presume that our students will do it.

So in this article, I’m going to explain the concept of granularization in your learning content.

What is granularization? That’s the easy part. You see another and more common name for the process is chunking. It’s simply the technique of breaking information into chunks or blocks of information.

For example, let’s take adding two numbers. Say 15 and 27. Simple I know. You can add numbers like that in your head. Now break the process up into:

1) Write the first number (15) on the board

2) Write the second number (27) on the board, aligning the digits

3) Add the two smallest digits (5 and 7) together

4) If the result (12) is greater than 10 (it is) write the smallest digit of the result (2) as the total of the column.

And so on.

What I have above is a process that I can teach to a small child who hasn’t ever done addition before. Each of the steps is a chunk. So one big task (e.g. adding numbers) is broken into a number of smaller tasks called chunks (e.g. the steps of long addition).

It’s a technique that is used both in systems design and in learning content design. So your typical internet marketer needs it two or three times. Once for the design of their system — if they have created a system. Once for the design of their solution and once for the teaching of their solution.

Chunking, however, also has multiple layers itself. It is, after all, a process.

Firstly, it is itself a process of breaking a large chunk or block into a set of smaller chunks or blocks, and then reorganizing those mini-chunks into larger chunks. Although none of the reorganized chunks should be as large as the original.

Strictly speaking, the first part of the chunking process is called granularization. It consists of breaking chunks into mini-chunks called granules. Because this is the defining characteristic of the process, granularization is frequently improperly used to describe the whole process. Besides it has a formal sounding name. But it’s really only one task in the process.

The second part of the chunking process is called layering. It consists of re-organizing the granules (the basic building blocks) into larger mini-chunks somewhere between the large chunk of the whole process and the small chunk of the granule.

Do you get the idea that someone spent too much time on the work line breaking rocks?

Do you want to learn how to create information products (learning content)? Check out my new free eBook “7 Myths and Seven Tricks in Nine Steps”: http://www.learningcreators.com/myths.htm

Do you want to read more free information like this? Go to my blog: http://www.learningcreators.com/blog/

Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.