The Learning Scientists Podcast

The Learning Scientists Podcast is hosted by cognitive psychologists Megan Sumeracki and Yana Weinstein-Jones, and it does something that most education podcasts only gesture at: it takes actual peer-reviewed research on how people learn and translates it into language that teachers can use. The show grew out of their Learning Scientists blog and has produced about 96 episodes since 2017, each one focused on a specific evidence-based learning strategy or research finding. They cover spaced practice, retrieval practice, interleaving, dual coding, and elaboration -- the six strategies that form the backbone of their work -- but they also branch into topics like motivation, self-regulation, metacognition, and the science behind why certain study habits fail. Episodes run about 20 to 35 minutes and often feature guest researchers who present their findings and then discuss how teachers might apply them in real classrooms. The tone is collegial and approachable. Sumeracki and Weinstein-Jones are clearly passionate about bridging the gap between lab research and classroom practice, and they do it without condescension or jargon. They also have a refreshing willingness to say the evidence is mixed on this or we are not sure yet rather than overselling findings. The podcast carries a 4.9-star rating on Apple Podcasts with 115 reviews, which is unusually high. For teachers who are tired of education fads and want to ground their practice in what cognitive science actually says about learning, this podcast is a reliable, well-sourced companion that respects both the science and the messiness of real classrooms.