Shadowing Practice: Mark Rober’s $60 Million Science Experiment | TED - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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I want to start off tonight with a two-step experiment.
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I want to start off tonight with a two-step experiment.
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For step one, I've got a two-liter bottle here.
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It's half-filled with liquid nitrogen.
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That's negative 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
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As you can see, it's violently boiling off into a gas, just like boiling water does on a hot stove.
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Because of this freezing cold liquid nitrogen, the nice comfy air in this room is super hot.
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But here's the catch.
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the gas form of nitrogen occupies 700 times the volume of the liquid.
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So you've got to be really careful as it's turning into a gas.
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You don't trap it in a small container like if the lid was screwed on top here.
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So then for step two, I'm going to go ahead and screw the lid on top.
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And when I do, if everything goes according to plan, the contents of this bottle should experience what we refer to at NASA as an energetic, spontaneous, rapid disassembly.
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It's going to explode.
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Alright, here we go.
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Put that on.
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Okay.
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Now this is going to be...
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Oh, you know what?
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What the heck?
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Might as well throw these on top.
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This is going to be real boring until it's not.
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If you don't like loud noises, cover yours.
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But according to my calculations, things could get real interesting here in about three, two, one.
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One.
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One.
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I said one.
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I'm just kidding.
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It's really impossible to actually calculate exactly.
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Whoa!
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Let's go!
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How's your jet lag now?
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All right.
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My apologies to my friends in the front row.
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You should be warned, it will get worse before it gets better.
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I'm like Science Gallagher up here.
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So a lot of people look at that.
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Thank you, yeah.
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You keep those as souvenirs, actually.
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Please don't throw them back the whole time.
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A lot of people look at that and be like, oh, neat.
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The ping pong balls exploded.
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But what actually happened is so much cooler, because as more and more of that nitrogen turned into a gas, those gas molecules got more and more crowded as they pushed back
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on the plastic molecules comprising the walls of the two-liter bottle.
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And then eventually, the pressure got so great, it got so crowded, the walls of the two-liter bottle lost the game of molecular Red Rover,
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and all the gas came rushing out.
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But where could it go?
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Because it can't go down or to the sides.
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Trash can's too thick.
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Therefore, the only option is to go up, and since all the ping-pong balls are in the way, they just happen to go along for the ride.
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But here's the really cool part.
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This is exactly how cannons fire cannonballs.
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It's how Nerf blasters fire Nerf darts.
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It's how T-shirt cannons fire T-shirts.
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And for my friends in the front row, it's how straws fire spitwads.
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Just kidding.
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The trick for all those is you simply build up enough pressure, you suddenly release it in one direction, and plop whatever you want in the way to go along for the ride.
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And I love when I get that aha moment, when I understand the world around me with a new framework.
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But even more than that, I love giving that to other people.
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This is why, for the last 15 years, once a month, I've uploaded a free science or engineering video to YouTube to my now 75 million subscribers,
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who also have a taste for those aha moments.
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And the videos...
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Thank you.
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The videos can range anywhere from an elephant toothpaste volcano that sets a world record, to a satellite that's orbiting above us right now that we built,
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that you can upload your picture to for free, and then it will display it on a screen, and then give you a selfie in space with the Earth photobombing you.
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Or even a soccer goalie moves back and forth at 40 miles an hour, and then we track your shot so effectively, not even the world's greatest player,
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whoo, can score on it.
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Sorry, Ronaldo.
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And 16 billion views later, What I've learned is I can't teach you if I don't have your attention.
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But if I can get your attention with something remarkable, well, now I suddenly have something to attach the learning to.
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This is why it kills me if someone's like, oh, I don't like science, because it's boring.
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But at the same time, I get it, because instead of learning about pressure the way I did with these ping pong balls, a lot of times it's done like this,
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with curiosity-murdering phrases, Like, consider a rigid container of volume V.
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It's a frickin' trash can, all right?
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And don't get me wrong.
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Like, there is a time and a place for equations.
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For a generation that has grown up on TikTok and YouTube, you have to make it matter with something that gets them to lean forward in their seat.
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Something that ignites a little curiosity fire in their brain.
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And we need that today more than ever.
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I like to call this style of teaching hiding the vegetables.
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For example, it's really boring if you make a video about the scientific method, but what's not boring is if you make a video about a 15-ton Jell-O pool you can actually bellow flop onto.
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And in the process, I'm going to sneak in all six steps of the scientific method.
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What's also really boring is memorizing an equation about terminal velocity, but what's not boring is you point out
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that squirrels are one of the only mammals that can survive a fall from any height at their terminal velocity.
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And then in an effort to keep them from stealing all your bird seed, you set up an eight-part Ninja Warrior obstacle course in your backyard.
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And in the process, what you might find is they will voluntarily demonstrate this principle for you.
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It's a very true story.
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There's also a ton of super boring microcontroller tutorial videos online.
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So when someone came by and stole a package from my porch, I decided to dedicate a year of my life to making the world's least boring microcontroller tutorial video.
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Step one, you make a bait package like this, and on the outside, you have something like a picture of headphones.
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But inside, instead of headphones, you have this contraption.
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And at the top there, there's a cup that spins a pound of the world's finest glitter.
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You have four phones that will record, then upload their footage to the cloud real time, and it's the piece de resistance, a very uncharitable amount of fart spray.
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That's foreshadowing.
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And then step two, you have the thief come by, and he lifts the lid, takes it home.
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Of course, it sprays the glitter, followed by the fart spray.
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I should point out, by the way, this whole video was sort of a modern-day homage to the greatest film of a generation.
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I'm talking, of course, about Home Alone.
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And so the thief here, who's pretending, is none other than my buddy Macaulay Culkin.
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And so then for step three, what you and Macaulay are going to do is you're going to make 20 of these, you're going to put them on porches all across America,
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And it won't take long before you start getting back some incredible footage like this.
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Hello.
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Keep the change, you filthy animal.
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Whoa!
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Hello.
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You guys give up?
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Oh yeah.
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I'm thirsty for more.
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Operation, whoever snucked it, dealt it.
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Initiated.
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F***.
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Operation Butt Trumpet, initiated.
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Oh!
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Alright, alright, alright, we f***ing get it.
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Yeah.
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By the way, I was watching, and when that thief was about to lift the lid on the glitter bomb, not a single one of you was looking down or was on your phones.
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I had your undivided attention, and that makes for the most fertile brain soil, because learning is best when it's attached to a visceral experience.
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Basically, if you feel something here, you remember it here.
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This is why memorizing a boring equation is hard, but remembering that song you sang as a teenager that made you feel all those feels, that's easy.
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And you remember every single lyric 30 years later.
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And to be fair, I didn't come up with this style of teaching.
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All great teachers know this.
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For me, it was Mr. Malloy.
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He was my high school statistics teacher.
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Hello, Mr. Malloy, if you're watching this.
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And he was great not just because he had a killer Dr. Evil impression, or because, and I mean this with all sincerity,
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he had way better hair than whatever I was trying to figure out here.
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He was great because he made it matter, like encouraging us to use what we learn in statistics to
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predict where our arch-rival soccer team was going to kick their penalty kicks.
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And it worked!
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He was so good at attaching emotions to learning.
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He was so good at hiding the vegetables.
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And the thing is, with a really good teacher, their impact is immeasurable, just like Mr. Mulloy impacted his students, and we're in now, in turn, impacting the world.
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That's why I love teachers.
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I think they have the most important job on the planet.
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In fact, please.
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I've said for like a decade, my dream job is to be a middle school science teacher, and I will be.
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But until that time, and buckle up, because this is the first time the world is hearing about this, but for the last two and a half years,
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myself, with a team of about 50 people, including some of the best science teachers in the country, we've been secretly working on a full science curriculum,
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and it uses all the tricks I've learned for the past 15 years on how to hide the vegetables.
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And the reason we're doing this is because it breaks my heart
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when I see teachers who get paid salaries as a society
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we should be ashamed of spending their own money on resources that totally suck.
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So it's got everything they need, from banger videos the kids are going to beg to rewatch that demonstrate the science, yes, that is a wrench and an MRI machine,
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because how else am I supposed to talk about the invisible magnetic fields all around us?
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It's got ready-to-teach classroom slide decks that are super clean and easy to use.
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And then it's got these really thought-out, curated science demos where the kids get to viscerally interact with the science
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that the teachers can make just with stuff they have lying around their classroom.
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And so the idea is that together we teach the classroom, and the teacher becomes the hero as we engage the students in real science and engineering they actually care about.
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We're starting with grades three through eight.
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It exceeds all the state science standards, but most importantly, it's exactly what science class is meant to be.
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Super freaking fun.
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Your teacher and I are about to launch this class into hyperdrive.
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Let's go!
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Whoa!
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We'll build stuff, ask a ton of questions, and even smash a few things along the way.
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If everything goes according to plan, we'll see the world around you in an entirely new way.
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Right.
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Oh my God, that's crazy.
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Buckle up.
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It's gonna be a wild ride.
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It's basically magic.
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Science which makes it cooler than magic What do you guys want to do now
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The world has evolved and teaching science is long overdue for disruption I'm happy to report
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that of the teachers who are assigned to teach the pilot lessons to their students
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because of our ability to explain complicated things simply, and for our very unique experience in solving the science motivation gap for 15 years,
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95% of the teachers said when we're done, they would want this to be their full science curriculum.
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And so the idea is you combine incredible teachers with incredible resources to get this explosive output, sort of like you'd expect to see if you combine this bucket of boiling water
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with this trash can of freezing cold liquid nitrogen.
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So to all those teachers out there in the trenches, I want you to know reinforcements are on the way.
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In fact, a bunch of the videos and lessons are already available right now
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and we'll finish the rest over the next four years
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because I know this will be the most important thing I do my whole life.
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And even though this is going to cost us $60 million to make, my official declaration tonight is every single lesson plan,
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every teacher training, every original class demo will cost exactly zero dollars and be 100% free for all teachers forever
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as we work to ignite those brainfires of curiosity in the next generation of big problem solvers.
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Thank you so much.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
If you want to enhance your English speaking skills, practicing with Mark Rober's engaging TED Talk is an excellent choice. This video not only captivates viewers with fascinating science experiments but also provides a rich vocabulary and diverse sentence structures. By shadow speaking alongside Rober, learners can improve their pronunciation, intonation, and overall confidence in using English. The combination of scientific concepts and humor creates a lively atmosphere, making it easier for learners to stay focused and absorb the language. Engaging with content that sparks curiosity helps activate your English skills in practical, real-world contexts, making this TED Talk a perfect resource for learn English with YouTube enthusiasts.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
During his presentation, Rober employs various grammar structures and expressions that can enrich your English fluency:
- Imperative verbs: Phrases like "cover your ears" and "screw the lid on" demonstrate commands that are commonly used in conversational English, making it relatable for your IELTS speaking practice.
- Future tense: Rober uses structures like "if everything goes according to plan" to express conditional scenarios. Understanding how to navigate conditional phrases can enhance your speaking capabilities.
- Conversational fillers: Expressions such as "you know what?" and "what the heck?" help make conversations sound more natural and less formal, which is crucial when practicing everyday dialogues.
- Colloquialism: His use of humor and informal language, such as "Whoa!" and "Let’s go!" demonstrates a casual speaking style that is beneficial for learners aiming for a more conversational tone in their speech.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you shadow Rober in this talk, be on the lookout for pronunciation traps that can trip up English learners:
- “Spontaneous” - This word can be tricky due to its syllable stress. Focus on placing emphasis on the second syllable: spont-AN-eous.
- “Energetic” - The transition between its syllables can be challenging. Practice saying it slowly first, and then speed up: en-er-GET-ic.
- “Volcano” - Pay attention to the vowel sounds and stress in this word, ensuring it flows smoothly when you say: vol-CA-no.
Utilizing these tips while practicing with a shadow speech technique allows you to effectively mimic the speaker's tone and rhythm, thereby improving your articulate expression in English. Enjoy your learning journey!
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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