Shadowing Practice: How curiosity paved the way to self-learning | Ray Wu | TEDxYouth@GrandviewHeights - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Everything begins with a problem,
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Everything begins with a problem,
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and it is up to us to find a solution.
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When most people look at this Rubik's Cube,
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they think one of two things.
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Either I can solve it,
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or I can't solve it.
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But when I first looked at the Rubik's Cube,
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I thought, what if I was able to solve it?
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And so I twisted and turned,
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repeated my moves with no luck.
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But then I realized, hey, there's always the Internet.
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And so I Googled how to solve a Rubik's Cube.
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What I found eventually led me to start practicing how to solve it.
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Solving the white side and the first two layers,
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then orientating the last layer,
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and ending off with a quick but precise permutation.
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Voila.
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Today I can solve the cube in about 30 seconds on average,
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with my personal best being 9 seconds.
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But it's not my ability to solve the cube at record speeds that is so special to me,
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rather the spark that started it all.
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Curiosity.
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It's the main reason we learn in the first place.
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And if we weren't so curious creatures,
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we wouldn't have made the inventions that keep us happy and healthy every day,
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like the light bulb.
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But as time progresses on and technology continues to distract us,
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perhaps we're becoming more and more comfortable with life and less and less curious.
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Think about it.
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Why would we need to learn anymore
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if we had everything we needed to know in the palm of our very own hands?
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But this attitude is dangerous and can lead to a less creative and less successful world.
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We need to bring curiosity into our lives so that we can continue growing,
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inventing and discovering for the future.
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Let's first talk about what curiosity is,
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what it means to us,
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before finally learning how we can bring it about our everyday lives.
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Some people don't understand why solving the Rubik's Cube is so much fun.
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But that's the exact reason I do it.
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Because curiosity is all about wanting to learn and discover things you don't know yet.
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In fact, the BBC reported that curiosity comes from basic human nature.
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Meaning we are born to be curious creatures.
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And our minds have evolved to think differently and to learn and grow from experiences.
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And sure, we may be wasting time today by searching random things up on the internet.
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But if our brains know that it's information we will use in our future,
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it's completely worth it.
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Just by wanting to learn more,
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you're already taking the first step to becoming more and more curious every day.
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When I was younger, I didn't tell myself I was going to get into soccer,
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football, basketball, skating, or skiing.
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I just saw other people do it.
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And I thought, that looks fun.
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Could I have a try?
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They say curiosity killed the cat,
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but curiosity comes in handy once in a while.
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Actually, more than not.
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Why?
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Because it lets us discover things we don't know that we don't know.
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What I mean by that is you can discover things you don't know,
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but you can also discover things that you never knew existed.
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Nobody ever tells you to be curious.
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Your parents and teachers are more likely to tell you other advice,
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like talk to strangers, try new things, or never give up.
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Curiosity comes from within.
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You are the only person in this world that can tell yourself what to learn,
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how to learn it, or whether to learn it at all all.
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For example, I recently found out that Christopher Columbus didn't discover America first.
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In fact, Leif Erikson and the Vikings may have arrived sooner,
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and if so, almost five centuries before Columbus.
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And many more people possibly have arrived before them.
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My curiosity even led me to discover about how you could
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reuse the water inside hydroelectric cars to make them more efficient vehicles.
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Or important allied strategic maneuvers that led them to win World War II.
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The world is huge and all of this curiosity is stretching my brain.
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But if it means I get to be more informed
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and especially if it means I get to share my knowledge with friends and family,
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it's completely worth it.
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Curiosity is the fuel for discovery and learning.
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Curious These people ask questions,
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and the more you ask,
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the more you know, just like a snowball effect.
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If you throw a snowball of questions,
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you'll be facing an avalanche of information,
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but it's not really a bad thing.
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So how can all of us learn how to be a bit more curious in our everyday lives?
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I've come up with a three-step system I'd like to share with everyone.
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I call it age.
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A-G-E.
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The first letter is A.
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For ask good questions, and in return, you'll get good answers.
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My teacher, Miss Lum, always said that if you ask a good question,
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you'll get a better answer.
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Never tell your brain that your question is silly or dumb,
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because the only way you'll know the answer is by asking for it.
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Sometimes we stop ourselves in class from asking questions because we feel embarrassed.
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But you might just be helping someone who is too scared to ask.
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And don't worry, our parents and teachers are always there to guide us.
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So we should use their help as much as possible.
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And there's always the internet.
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The second letter is G for go beyond.
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Don't just learn what's required,
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learn as much as you can beyond it.
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When we're given a boring assignment at school,
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we're most likely to just want to learn what's required.
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But there is so much more information,
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so much more perspectives, so many more details,
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and so much more to learn about one same thing.
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And not wanting to learn it is like throwing a perfect opportunity out the window and into the trash.
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And while we usually do the first thing that's most obvious,
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if you did something different,
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draw out your ideas or brainstorm with friends.
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It might just make learning that bit more interesting and exciting.
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Last but not least, E, for be excited.
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Study things that bring you joy.
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You're only going to want to learn and remember things that you like anyway.
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So why not enjoy studying them?
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And don't worry, no one is ever going to stop you.
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Because the world will never run out of information.
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I'm only nine, but my curiosity has already paved such a long road for me.
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When I grow up, I'd like to study medicine and become an epidemiologist.
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I would like to find out how we could have better prevented corona,
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how we can create a safer world,
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and how I could become an agent of change to show the doctors of today
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and the heroes that have sacrificed their lives for the greater good of humanity.
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They'll know that in the future there will be people just like them,
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willing to make such great sacrifices and their core values will never be forgotten.
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Today, we've seen how curiosity can inspire us,
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educate us and change us for the better.
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We've seen how it can benefit us and how we can become more and more curious every day.
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It's clear that because of curiosity,
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learning is way more fun and useful than we used to think.
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Sometimes we forget to enjoy new discoveries.
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And that's when learning becomes challenging and boring.
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And so to jumpstart your curious mind,
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I challenge you to learn one new thing this week.
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Not because you have to,
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but because you want to.
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Pick up a new hobby,
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learn how something works, or even something fun,
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like how to solve a Rubik's cube.
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The future belongs to those who are curious.
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Those who are not afraid to explore it,
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touch it, feel it, taste it,
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discover it, question it and turn it inside out.
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Indeed, we learn more by looking for the answers to a question than learning the answers itself.
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And so today, ladies and gentlemen,
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boys and girls, I would like to leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein.
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The only important thing is to not stop questioning.
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Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
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Thank you.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

In the talk by Ray Wu, we see how curiosity drives the learning process. By engaging with this video, you can practice speaking in a context that encourages exploration and self-discovery. The speaker emphasizes the importance of curiosity and its role in learning, which can resonate with learners aiming to improve their English skills. By discussing concepts like problem-solving and creativity, the video presents vocabulary and phrases that can enhance your speaking abilities. You will not only learn to express your thoughts more clearly, but you will also adopt a mindset that fosters continuous learning, making it easier to learn English with YouTube.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

To enhance your English speaking skills, it can be beneficial to analyze key structures used in this video. Here are three significant patterns:

  • Conditional Clauses: "If we weren't so curious..." This construction highlights hypothetical situations. Practicing it can aid you in forming complex sentences.
  • Direct Speech: "I thought, what if I was able to solve it?" Using this style allows you to create engaging narratives in your speech, which can be particularly useful when telling stories or sharing experiences.
  • Present Continuous Tense: "We are born to be curious creatures." This tense conveys ongoing actions and characteristics, a vital aspect of conversational English for expressing current states.

Utilizing these structures while speaking will help you communicate more effectively, enhancing your ability to engage in discussions and share ideas.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing, you may encounter some pronunciation challenges. Here are a few words and phrases from the video that can be tricky:

  • Curiosity: Pay attention to the middle syllables. Ensure you pronounce it as "kyoor-i-OS-i-ty" rather than running the sounds together.
  • Technology: The stress is on the second syllable: "tek-NOL-o-gy." Misplacing the stress can alter the clarity of your communication.
  • Inventions: This word contains an "in" sound that is often mispronounced by non-native speakers. Make sure to articulate it clearly: "in-VEN-tions."

Practicing these pronunciations can significantly improve English pronunciation. Recording yourself using the shadowing technique after listening to the video helps you fine-tune your pronunciation and intonation.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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