The Learner Lab: Recent Episodes
Trevor Ragan, Alex Belser - The Learner Lab
Each episode we'll dive into a topic that can us become better learners. We're going to keep it short, sweet, and to the point.
A little bit of reflection can lead to a lot of benefits for learning and performance.
Giada Di Stefano joins to discuss the her work on the surprising benefits of reflection.
Her work shows how valuable it can be to the learning process and that in some situations it’s more beneficial than additional practice.
We work through her paper that outlines:
– the best strategies for reflection
– when reflection is most effective
– how we can use these strategies as individuals and leaders
This is a great episode for both learners and leaders.
Quick Links:
All Podcasts
All Articles
All VideosWatch on YouTubeEpisode Page
Giada Di Stefano
Learning by Thinking: Giada’s huge paper Giada Di Stefano is an Associate Professor of Strategy at Bocconi University.
Her general research interests lie in the broad area of strategy and innovation. More specifically, she studies the factors that foster or inhibit the creation and transfer of knowledge, within and across organizations. From a methodological standpoint, her research is prevalently mixed-method, with a focus on experiments and field work more broadly. To this end, she has partnered with a number of organizations to conduct experiments “in the wild.” Her work is often conducted in the context of creative industries, broadly defined – from gourmet cuisine to science, from computer programming to academia.
Her papers have been published in top academic journals including the Academy of Management Journal, Management Science, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal. Her research has also been featured on the Financial Times.
We can all change. But it in order to do it we need to understand the obstacles that can get in our way, and the tools we need to overcome them.
Katy Milkman joins to discuss the most common obstacles to change and the tools we need to overcome them.
She presents strategies to deal with:
– Laziness
– Forgetfulness
– Procrastination
– Getting Started
– Impulsivity
– Conformity
– Confidence
Quick Links:
Katy Milkman
Watch on YouTube
Episode Page
The Learner Lab
Katy Milkman is the James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a secondary appointment at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine. Her research explores ways that insights from economics and psychology can be harnessed to change consequential behaviors for good, such as savings, exercise, student achievement, vaccination and discrimination. To that end, she co-founded and co-directs the Behavior Change for Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2021 Katy was named one of the world’s top 50 management thinkers and the world’s top strategy thinker by Thinkers50. The New York Times also named her bestselling book How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be one of the eight best books for healthy living in 2021.
There's been some exciting advancements in the world of growth mindset. David Yeager joins to share some of his latest research.
Quick Links:
David YeagerThe Learner LabFull Show NotesWatch on YouTube
Stress Mindset Episode
Dr. Yeager is an Associate Professor at The University of Texas. He is interested in understanding the processes shaping adolescent development, especially how social cognitive factors interact with structural and physiological factors to create positive or negative trajectories for youth. He is also interested in learning how to influence these psychological processes, so as to improve developmental and educational outcomes for youth.
The way we think about stress can change the way it affects us. Understanding the way our mindsets impact stress is essential for better learning and leadership.
Kelly McGonigal explains how it all works.
Quick Links:Watch on YouTubeKelly McGonigal
The Upside of Stress
The Learner Lab Podcast
Studies:
Jeremy Jamieson GRE Study
Alia Crum 2013
Alia Crum 2023Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University who specializes in understanding the mind-body connection. As a pioneer in the field of "science-help," her mission is to translate insights from psychology and neuroscience into practical strategies that support personal well-being and strengthen communities.
She is the best-selling author of The Willpower Instinct and The Upside of Stress. You might also know her from her TED talk, "How to Make Stress Your Friend," which is one of the most viewed TED talks of all time, with over 20 million views.
Through the Stanford Center for Compassion and Altruism, she helped create Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training, a program now taught around the world that helps individuals strengthen their empathy, compassion, and self-compassion.
In January 2020, Oprah Magazine honored her ability to “transform scientific data into wisdom” by naming McGonigal the first ever O! Visionary, people whose groundbreaking way of seeing the world mean a better future for us all.
Boomer, Gen X, Millennial - we use these labels all the time, but there's two problems:
- There's no scientific support for real generational differences
- Using the labels actually causes a bunch of problems, especially for learning & development
Two experts in the field, David Costanza & Cort Rudolph join us to to discuss:
- the limits of traditional generational research
- the problems that the perceived generational differences/ labels cause
- a better way to think about group differences
Quick Links:
David CostanzaCort RudolphLearner Lab Podcast
Studies:
NASEM ReportGenerations, We Hardly Knew Ye: An ObituaryGenerations and Generational Differences: Debunking MythsGenerationally Based Differences: Is There a There There
Hardiness is a strong predictor of our ability to deal with challenges and change. Decades of research shows it plays an important role in both learning and resilience. Yet, it doesn’t get enough attention – it’s time to change that.
Quick Links:
Watch on YouTubeHardiness by Paul BartoneThe Learner Lab
One of the world’s leading experts in hardiness, Paul Bartone joins to talk about his research. We focus on why hardiness is an important topic for learning, and different strategies to build it.
Paul Bartone is a Visiting Research Fellow at the National Defense University, and Adjunct Faculty in Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Research interests focus on understanding individual differences in stress responding, and clarifying the role of personality hardiness and related factors in facilitating healthy adaptations to stressful conditions, as well as organizational and personal strategies for increasing hardiness.
This is a great episode for both individual learning & leadership.
Outcome Bias Outcome Bias is a common trap we all fall into, when we judge a decision based on the results, instead of looking at the process itself. This impacts learning, leadership, and decision making more than we realize. Annie Duke and Övül Sezer show us how to change that.
Quick Links:
Learner Lab PodcastAnnie DukeÖvül SezerThe Learner Lab Website
Annie Duke is an author, speaker, and consultant in the decision-making space, as well as Special Partner focused on Decision Science at First Round Capital Partners, a seed stage venture fund. Annie is the co-founder of The Alliance for Decision Education, a non-profit whose mission is to improve lives by empowering students through decision skills education. She is a member of the National Board of After-School All-Stars and the Board of Directors of the Franklin Institute and serves on the board of the Renew Democracy Initiative.
Övül Sezer is an Assistant Professor of Management and Organizations at Cornell University. Her research has been featured in top management and psychology journals including the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Harvard Business Review and covered in leading media outlets including New York Times, Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post.
Gaining experience and expertise is great for us – as individuals. However, research shows, this can hurt our capacity to connect with, lead, and advise others. This is called the curse of expertise and to become a more effective leaders we need to understand what it is and how to avoid it.
Ting Zhang, from Harvard Business School, outlines her research on the curse of expertise – focusing on what it is, why it matters, and strategies we can use to avoid it.
Quick Links:Watch on YouTubeTing Zhang
The Learner Lab
Episode Page
Daniel Coyle joins the podcast to discuss his new book: The Culture Playbook
Daniel Coyle is the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code, which was named Best Business Book of the Year by Bloomberg, BookPal, and Business Insider. Coyle has served as an advisor to many high-performing organizations, including the Navy SEALs, Microsoft, Google, and the Cleveland Guardians.
Quick Links:
Daniel Coyle's website
The Learner Lab website
Learning is the most important skill. Great learners are agile, resilient, and adaptable. Great learners can acquire new skills when new demands arise. In times of change, learners will thrive.
The best news: learning is a skill – one that anyone can get better at.
This book will provide the tools and science to help you do just that.
Learner Lab WebsiteTrevor Ragan
Learner the Audiobook Episode 5 Overview:- How to become a better learner
- Learner action plan
- Learning more efficiently
- Better Practice
Topics: purposeful practice, desirable difficulties, contextual interference
Guests: Elizabeth Bjork, Robert Bjork, Michael Merzenich
Table of Contents
Episode 1 – Jungle Tiger
Chapter 1 – Rudy
Chapter 2 – Why Learning
Chapter 3 – Tigers
Chapter 4 – Why We Zoo Tiger
Episode 2 – Growth Mindset
Chapter 5 – Mindsets & Learning
Chapter 6 – Mindsets & Action
Chapter 7 – Misconceptions
Chapter 8 – How to Build a Growth Mindset
Episode 3 – Overcoming Fear
Chapter 9 – Fear, Discomfort & Learning
Chapter 10 – How to Overcome Fear
Chapter 11 – Flaws of Fearless
Chapter 12 – Putting Emotions in the Backseat
Episode 4 – Resilience
Chapter 13 – Finding Opportunities within Challenges
Chapter 14 – Turning Resilience on its Head
Chapter 15 – Learning like a Scientist
Chapter 16 – Into the Wild
Episode 5 – Taking Action
Chapter 17 – Taking Action
Chapter 18 – Better Practice
Learning is the most important skill. Great learners are agile, resilient, and adaptable. Great learners can acquire new skills when new demands arise. In times of change, learners will thrive.
The best news: learning is a skill – one that anyone can get better at.
This book will provide the tools and science to help you do just that.
Learner Lab WebsiteTrevor Ragan
Learner the AudiobookThe End of Trauma by George Bonanno
Chapters & Release Schedule:
Episode 1 – Oct 19
Chapter 1 – Rudy
Chapter 2 – Why Learning
Chapter 3 – Tigers
Chapter 4 – Why We Zoo Tiger
Episode 2 – Oct 26
Chapter 5 - Mindsets & Learning
Chapter 6 - Mindsets & Action
Chapter 7 - Misconceptions
Chapter 8 - How to Build a Growth Mindset
Episode 3 – Nov 1
Chapter 9 - Fear, Emotions & Learning
Chapter 10 - How to Overcome Fear
Chapter 11 - Flaws of Fearless
Chapter 12 - Putting Emotions in the Backseat
Episode 4 – Nov 22
Chapter 13 - Finding Opportunities within Challenges
Chapter 14 - Turning Resilience on its Head
Chapter 15 - Learning like a Scientist
Chapter 16 - Into the Wild
Episode 5 – Coming Soon
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Learning is the most important skill. Great learners are agile, resilient, and adaptable. Great learners can acquire new skills when new demands arise. In times of change, learners will thrive.
The best news: learning is a skill – one that anyone can get better at.
This book will provide the tools and science to help you do just that.
Learner Lab WebsiteTrevor Ragan
Learner the Audiobook Episode Overview:- How fear impacts learning
- How our default approach to dealing with fear and discomfort usually makes it worse
- How to overcome fear & discomfort
Topics: stress reappraisal, stress mindset
Guests: Jeremy Jamieson, Susan David, Marc Brackett, Seth Godin
Also mentioned: Alison Wood-Brooks, Alia Crum, Liz Gilbert
Chapters & Release Schedule:
Episode 1 – Oct 19
Chapter 1 – Rudy
Chapter 2 – Why Learning
Chapter 3 – Tigers
Chapter 4 – Why We Zoo Tiger
Episode 2 – Oct 26
Chapter 5 - Mindsets & Learning
Chapter 6 - Mindsets & Action
Chapter 7 - Misconceptions
Chapter 8 - How to Build a Growth Mindset
Episode 3 – Nov 1
Chapter 9 - Fear, Emotions & Learning
Chapter 10 - How to Overcome Fear
Chapter 11 - Flaws of Fearless
Chapter 12 - Putting Emotions in the Backseat
Episode 4 – Nov 22
Chapter 13 - Finding Opportunities within Challenges
Chapter 14 - Turning Resilience on it's Head
Chapter 15 - Learning like a Scientist
Chapter 16 - Into the Wild
Episode 5 – Coming Soon
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Learning is the most important skill. Great learners are agile, resilient, and adaptable. Great learners can acquire new skills when new demands arise. In times of change, learners will thrive.
The best news: learning is a skill – one that anyone can get better at.
This book will provide the tools and science to help you do just that.
LarryWilkins.com
Learner Lab WebsiteTrevor Ragan
Learner the Audiobook
Episode Overview:- Growth mindset deep dive- How our mindset impact learning
- How our mindsets impact action
- How to build a growth mindset
Topics: growth mindset, neuroplasticity
Guests: Larry Wilkins, Michael Merzenich
Also mentioned: Carol Dweck
Chapters & Release Schedule:
Episode 1 – Oct 19
Chapter 1 – Rudy
Chapter 2 – Why Learning
Chapter 3 – Tigers
Chapter 4 – Why We Zoo Tiger
Episode 2 – Oct 26
Chapter 5 - Mindsets & Learning
Chapter 6 - Mindsets & Action
Chapter 7 - Misconceptions
Chapter 8 - How to Build a Growth Mindset
Episode 3 – Nov 1
Chapter 9 - Fear, Emotions & Learning
Chapter 10 - How to Overcome Fear
Chapter 11 - Flaws of Fearless
Chapter 12 - Putting Emotions in the Backseat
Episode 4 – Nov 22
Chapter 13 - Finding Opportunities within Challenges
Chapter 14 - Turning Resilience on it's Head
Chapter 15 - Learning like a Scientist
Chapter 16 - Into the Wild
Episode 5 – Coming Soon
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Learning is the most important skill. Great learners are agile, resilient, and adaptable. Great learners can acquire new skills when new demands arise. In times of change, learners will thrive.
The best news: learning is a skill – one that anyone can get better at.
This book will provide the tools and science to help you do just that.
Learner Lab WebsiteTrevor Ragan
Learner the Audiobook
Chapters & Release Schedule:
Episode 1 – Oct 19
Chapter 1 – Rudy
Chapter 2 – Why Learning
Chapter 3 – Tigers
Chapter 4 – Why We Zoo Tiger
Episode 2 – Oct 26
Chapter 5 - Mindsets & Learning
Chapter 6 - Mindsets & Action
Chapter 7 - Misconceptions
Chapter 8 - How to Build a Growth Mindset
Episode 3 – Nov 1
Chapter 9 - Fear, Emotions & Learning
Chapter 10 - How to Overcome Fear
Chapter 11 - Flaws of Fearless
Chapter 12 - Putting Emotions in the Backseat
Episode 4 – Nov 22
Chapter 13 - Finding Opportunities within Challenges
Chapter 14 - Turning Resilience on it's Head
Chapter 15 - Learning like a Scientist
Chapter 16 - Into the Wild
Episode 5 – Coming Soon
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
We wrote a book. But instead of selling it to you, we're going to present the whole thing, right here, in an audiobook format, for free.
We'll drop a few chapters each week!
For contact information + more free learning resources visit:
www.thelearnerlab.com
The way we traditionally look at emotions can hurt our capacity to grow. To become a better learner we need to change our perceptions of emotions, learn to feel them, understand them, and to work with them rather than against them.
Featuring:
Susan David - Psychologist: Harvard Medical School
Marc Brackett - Director: Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence
Full show notes
Quick Links:Susan David
Emotional Agility by Susan David
Checking with Susan David (podcast)
Marc Brackett
Permission to Feel by Marc Brackett
Marc Brackett and Brene Brown (podcast)
Alex Belser
Trevor Ragan
Our actions have more of an impact on the learning environment than we realize. If we understand the power of modeling, upgrade the way we think about it, and become more intentional about it - we can all improve the learning environment for the people around us.
Special guests:
Karch Kiraly - Head Coach: USA Women's Volleyball
Ceci Craft - All Terrain Project
Full Show Notes
Quick Links:Ceci Craft
Karch Kiraly
All Terrain Project
Imitation Study
Imitation Who What Study
Psychological Safety Episode
Alex Belser
Trevor Ragan
All practice is not created equally. To become a better learner we need to engage in more purposeful, deliberate practice. Anders Ericsson, one of the world's leading experts in learning, explains how we can use his research to get better at getting better.
Full show notes
Quick LinksAnders Ericsson
Peak by Anders Ericsson
Alex Belser
Trevor Ragan
To build a skill or make a lasting change we have to get on the path of taking and sustaining action. Understanding a few core principles from the field of behavioral economics can help us stay on that path - helping groups and individuals take more action and become better learners.
Full Show Notes
Quick LinksPredictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
Alex Belser
Trevor Ragan
Research shows that communicating with stories can lead to more retention, action, and connection - which are all essential elements of learning. Today we're going to present the research that shows why stories are so powerful. And then Matthew Dicks (one of the world's best storytellers) will give us some tools and techniques to become better storytellers and communicators.
Full Show Notes
Quick Links
Matthew Dicks
Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks
Retention Study
Simulation Study
Blood Pressure Study
Einstein Study
How Stories Enhance Learning by Saga Briggs
Why Does the Brain Love Stories? by Saga Briggs
Alex Belser’s Website
Trevor Ragan
Often times we judge our process and decisions by to the quality of the outcome. The research calls this outcome bias and the poker world calls it resulting. No matter what you call it, this can lead to a number of traps that hurt the learning process. The good news: once we understand how it works we can find ways to avoid resulting and become better learners.
Full Show Notes
Quick Links
Outcome Bias Study
Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke
Casey Yontz’s Twitter
Alex Belser’s Website
Trevor Ragan
If we want to make a lasting change we need to understand how to build our underlying habits. In this episode we call upon one of the world’s leading researchers on habits, Wendy Wood, to show us how to do that.
Full Show Notes
Quick Links:
Good Habits, Bad Habits by Wendy Wood
Wendy’s Twitter
Alex Belser’s Website
Trevor Ragan
Trevor and Alex are back for season 2! Each week we dig into useful tools that can help you and your people become better learners.
All groups are not created equally. Some over achieve, others under achieve, but why is that? What's the cause of that? A Harvard researcher, a bestselling author, and a tech company all asked that same question and discovered the same answer: psychological safety.
Full Show Notes
Featuring:
Daniel Coyle: NY Times Bestselling Author
Amy Edmondson: Harvard Business School Professor
Eric Ragan: Grinnell College Women's Volleyball head coach
Nora Hill: Grinnell College Women's Volleyball co-captain
Quick links:Project Aristotle
The Culture Code
The Fearless Organization
Amy Edmondson's TEDx Talk
Grinnell College Women's Volleyball
What can a college football program, a six year old, an auditing company, a HS basketball player, and Uber driving educator teach us about learning? They show us that the only way we can grow is if we're willing to step out of our comfort zone and struggle a bit.
Featuring:
The one and only, Seth Godin
Full Show Notes
Quick Links:
Skateboarding Video
Yale Comfort Zone Research
Alex's Videos
Learning Like a Jungle Tiger TEDx
Sleep is one of the most important, yet underrated components of the learning process. We brought in Dr. Marcos Frank - neuroscientist from Washington State University - to explain his research and show how sleep affects neuroplasticity and our capacity to grow.
Full Show Notes
Quick Links:
Dr. Marcos Frank
The Cat Study
The Rat Study
Sleep and Motor Skills Study
Dr. Matthew Walker
Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker
Matthew Walker interview
Understanding some simple principles of behavioral economics can help us make better decisions in the short run to achieve our long term goals. This can help us take and sustain action on any learning pursuit.
Full Show Notes
Quick Links:
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
Payoff by Dan Ariely
Alex's Behavioral Econ Videos
TrainUgly.com
Limiting beliefs get in the way of learning. We can all work to overcome these by building a true growth mindset (the belief that we can grow our skills). The most effective way to build a growth mindset is to dig into the research of neuroplasticity and really work to understand how our brain learns.
Featuring:
Dr. Michael Merzenich Neuroscientist at The University of California, San Francisco. Known as “The father of brain plasticity”
Full Show Notes
Quick Links:
Soft-wired by Michael Merzenich
How to Build a Growth Mindset (video)
The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge
London Cab Driver Study
When the performance matters we're going to feel some pressure, nerves, and stress. Whether it's a big presentation, a test, or even a date - most people think the most effective way to prepare for these situations is to try and calm down. In this episode, we dig into research that shows why this is a poor approach and the look at how we can do better. We learn how Ceci Clark, Mental Performance Coach for the Cleveland Indians, helps major leaguers perform better under pressure. We also bring in Jeremy Jamieson, Director of University of Rochester's Social Stress Lab, to help explain the science behind stress and how changing our perception of it can lead to better performance.
Full Show Notes
Quick Links:
GRE Study
Reappraisal Research by Allison Wood Brooks
Jeremy Jamieson - Director of the Social Stress Lab: University of Rochester
Ceci Clark - Mental Performance Coach: Cleveland Indians
TrainUgly.com
Question hotline: 805-635-8459
Action is the most important step of the learning process. It can also be one of the most difficult.
In order to grow we have to take and sustain action - today we unpack two frameworks that will help provide the fuel.
Full Show Notes
Quick Links
Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull
The Culture Code by Dan Coyle
WorkLife Podcast by Adam Grant
The tech world is constantly pushing the limits of innovation, problem solving, and product development. This week we brought in the CEO of Bebo, Shaan Puri, to explain some of these systems and how we can all use them to become more effective learners.
Question Hotline: 805-635-8459
Full Show Notes
Quick Links:
The Learn Startup Overview
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Shaan Puri
Intrinsic Motivation - TED talk by Dan Pink
TrainUgly.com
There's a huge gap between what the science says about how we should study, practice, and learn vs how we actually do it. We met with learning experts and UCLA Psychologists Dr. Elizabeth Bjork and Dr. Robert Bjork to figure out how to close that gap.
Full show notes
Quick Links:
Made to Stick
Elizabeth Bjork
Robert Bjork
Bjork Learning and Forgetting Lab
Our expectations can have a huge impact on the performance and development of our people. Trev and Alex sit down with one of the most influential psychologists in the world, Robert Rosenthal, to learn more.
Full show notes
Quick Links:
Pygmalion in the Classroom by Robert Rosenthal
Pygmalion in the Classroom
Pygmalion in Prison Classrooms
Pygmalion in Management
Israel Defense Forces
TrainUgly.com
Each week we'll cover a topic that will help us become better learners. We're going to keep it short, sweet, and to the point.
There will be a 15 minute Q&A sesh at the end of each episode. Call 805-635-8459 (UGLY) to leave a question.