The Learner Lab

Trevor Ragan - The Learner Lab
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Each episode we focus on one topic that can help you become a better leader and learner. We do our best to keep it short, useful, and engaging. Whenever possible we bring in the experts to share their research and work.

  1. 07/25/2023

    The Surprising Power of Reflection with Giada Di Stefano

    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 Videos Watch on YouTube Episode 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. The Leading Learners ToolkitHelp your team learn, adapt, and get resultsEverything you need to help your team become better learners: video lessons, discussion topics, facilitator guides

    18 min

  2. 07/18/2023

    How to Change with Katy Milkman

    We can all change. But we usually don't. The good news: we can fix this Katy Milkman is one of the world's leading experts on change and human behavior. She shares specific tools to overcome: – 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. The Leading Learners ToolkitHelp your team learn, adapt, and get resultsEverything you need to help your team become better learners: video lessons, discussion topics, facilitator guides

    26 min

  3. 07/11/2023

    The New Era of Growth Mindset with David Yeager

    There's been some exciting advancements in the world of growth mindset. David Yeager joins to share some of his latest research. – A quick growth mindset overview – Addressing growth mindset controversies – The new era of growth mindset – David Yeager: A Synergistic Mindset Intervention – Tips for building a growth mindset Quick Links: David Yeager The Learner Lab Full Show Notes Watch 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 Leading Learners ToolkitHelp your team learn, adapt, and get resultsEverything you need to help your team become better learners: video lessons, discussion topics, facilitator guides

    30 min

  4. 06/27/2023

    Rethinking Stress: Why Stress Mindsets Matter with Kelly McGonigal

    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 YouTube Kelly McGonigal The Upside of Stress The Learner Lab Podcast Studies: Jeremy Jamieson GRE Study Alia Crum 2013 Alia Crum 2023 Kelly 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. The Leading Learners ToolkitHelp your team learn, adapt, and get resultsEverything you need to help your team become better learners: video lessons, discussion topics, facilitator guides

    27 min

  5. 06/20/2023

    Rethinking Generational Labels with David Costanza and Cort Rudolph

    Boomer, Gen X, Millennial - we use these labels all the time, but there's two problems: 1. There's no scientific support for real generational differences 2. 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 Costanza Cort Rudolph Learner Lab Podcast Studies: NASEM Report Generations, We Hardly Knew Ye: An Obituary Generations and Generational Differences: Debunking Myths Generationally Based Differences: Is There a There There The Leading Learners ToolkitHelp your team learn, adapt, and get resultsEverything you need to help your team become better learners: video lessons, discussion topics, facilitator guides

    25 min

  6. 06/13/2023

    A Deep Dive into Hardiness with Paul Bartone

    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 YouTube Hardiness by Paul Bartone The 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. The Leading Learners ToolkitHelp your team learn, adapt, and get resultsEverything you need to help your team become better learners: video lessons, discussion topics, facilitator guides

    20 min

  7. 06/06/2023

    Overcoming the Outcome Bias with Annie Duke and Övül Sezer

    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 Podcast Annie Duke Övül Sezer The 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. The Leading Learners ToolkitHelp your team learn, adapt, and get resultsEverything you need to help your team become better learners: video lessons, discussion topics, facilitator guides

    25 min

  8. 05/30/2023

    The Curse of Expertise with Ting Zhang

    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 YouTube Ting Zhang The Learner Lab Episode Page The Leading Learners ToolkitHelp your team learn, adapt, and get resultsEverything you need to help your team become better learners: video lessons, discussion topics, facilitator guides

    15 min
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About

Each episode we focus on one topic that can help you become a better leader and learner. We do our best to keep it short, useful, and engaging. Whenever possible we bring in the experts to share their research and work.

Information

  • Creator
    Trevor Ragan - The Learner Lab
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2023
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Learner Lab
  • Show Website
    The Learner Lab

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