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How to Make Learning Impossibly Fun | Mark Rober | TED

What if science class felt less like studying out of a textbook and more like an unforgettable field trip? From viral glitter-bomb traps to backyard engineering marvels, former-NASA-engineer-turned-YouTuber Mark Rober has spent years proving that curiosity is contagious — and that the best way to teach science is to make it impossibly fun. In conversation…

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What if science class felt less like studying out of a textbook and more like an unforgettable field trip? From viral glitter-bomb traps to backyard engineering marvels, former-NASA-engineer-turned-YouTuber Mark Rober has spent years proving that curiosity is contagious — and that the best way to teach science is to make it impossibly fun. In conversation with TED’s Whitney Pennington Rodgers, Rober shares how play, wonder and a healthy dose of mischief can transform the way kids learn … and gives a peek inside his plan to bring magic to every classroom in America. (This conversation was part of an exclusive TED Membership event. TED Membership is the best way to support and engage with the big ideas you love from TED. To learn more, visit ted.com/membership.) (Recorded at TED Membership on July 29, 2026])

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16 Comments

16 Comments

  1. @NolanIssacHicks

    September 6, 2026 at 11:16 am

    Best way to make learning fun is to sell your channel to private equity

    Reply

  2. @syedaghazala7274

    September 6, 2026 at 11:35 am

    Why has he not answered the question about screen?

    Reply

    • @karenwagner6880

      September 6, 2026 at 1:57 pm

      @syedaghazala7274 I absolutely heard the answer. He’s contrasting engagement and independent exploration vs the “sage on a sage” model. Listen to the potential energy example. The kids figure out what factors affect the outcome. Then the teacher uses those examples to define terms like height and velocity. The kids are solidly engaged.

      Reply

  3. @MRWKFClark

    September 6, 2026 at 1:14 pm

    When someone is politically or financially motivated, you cannot trust anything they try and teach you. That trust is gone forever.

    Reply

  4. @Bythirteen

    September 6, 2026 at 7:00 pm

    “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” is the quote he attempted. 👍

    Reply

  5. @nielp91

    September 6, 2026 at 11:29 pm

    Mark is a sellout. Wouldn’t trust a word he says. 🤡

    Reply

  6. @deuk66

    September 7, 2026 at 6:11 am

    I love Mark
    the best science teacher

    Reply

    • @amzarnacht6710

      September 7, 2026 at 12:41 pm

      _Modern_ science teacher.

      But there have been very MANY excellent science teachers on broadcast over the years. Some positively ancient guy back in the 1980s, then Bill Nye, and others.

      Reply

  7. @toddchavez8274

    September 7, 2026 at 7:17 am

    I don’t like the initial framing of making learning fun only be for kids. Adults should find learning fun too. Lots of problems would be solved real quick.

    Reply

    • @catatonicbug7522

      September 9, 2026 at 7:56 pm

      The problem is that kids are born with curiousity, and the modern education system beats that curiousity out of them. If we can maintain the curiousity through childhood, learning for the sake of learning becomes fun for adults.

      Reply

  8. @Jerry-f7k6s

    September 7, 2026 at 12:20 pm

    24:21 “that’s why we’re making it free”, so it is free indeed. Or is it? I’ll go online and search for the answer.

    Reply

    • @Jerry-f7k6s

      September 7, 2026 at 12:38 pm

      true

      Reply

  9. @RomanOstolosh

    September 7, 2026 at 12:38 pm

    5:30 it’s absolutely true. Teaching is the single most important investment to our future. Thank you Mark for everything you are doing for the future generations of scientists.

    Reply

  10. @BritishRick

    September 8, 2026 at 6:06 am

    Fun is defined by the interpreter. There is no such thing as “absolute fun” just your interpretation of fun.

    Reply

  11. @jakereyson972

    September 8, 2026 at 7:07 am

    Why does this host feel so off..

    Reply

  12. @catatonicbug7522

    September 9, 2026 at 7:53 pm

    40 years ago, I built a system to turn off the bathroom light from my bed! String, tape, toilet paper tubes…

    Reply

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What does a war look like when you sit still long enough to draw it? Reportage artist and TED Fellow George Butler sketches the people that the news passes by: a 99-year-old survivor of the Holodomor famine in Ukraine, a man gathering books blasted into a rose garden, an architect whose home was hit by…

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