Humor in the classroom
I've always valued the use of humor in the classroom, be it initiated by instructor or student. Tension,nerves tend to run high at critical points of the quarter,and I believe its essential to 'lighten' things up. I like to open class with a humorous topic that is familiar to my students and I hope they respond in similar fashion.
Philip,
Like your approach and thinking on how to work through problem situations. Humor is a major part of learning because it helps individuals to overcome their fears and mistakes while helping them to stay engaged in the learning process.
Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Humor should NOT be a part of the learning process! It makes people happy, keeps them engaged, provides a sense of stress relief, and makes difficult or complex topics easier to understand... hmmm ok, I change my mind. I LOVE HUMOR!!!!
Critical thinking can be hard. Not every solution has a definitive Right or Wrong answer. Humor can take away the stress of needing to be correct at all times. On my test I will often use True, False, and a Maybe selection (they always chuckle at the Maybe in a true false Q). I tell them that if they chose maybe, they have to support their answer... They will sometimes try to say that there MUST be a Right and Wrong. I reassure them that there can be, but in life, somethings are like yellow lights. It all depends on how fast or slow you are already going and/or, how badly you need to get where you are going (ie. Ambulance Drivers)...
Clifton,
Even if you can't tell a joke effectively go for it anyway. My students love for me to tell a joke that is corny so they can laugh at me and groan. It helps to set the tone of the class and for everyone to relax a bit as we move to the next phase in the class. The key is to set a professional tone but have fun with the learning.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
While I don't consider myself a comedian or a great joke teller, I do attempt to include in my lectures opportunities to make comments or relate to the students (mostly older adolescents & young adults)stories or instances related to the subject at hand which they will be reinforced to recall based solely upon the remembrance factor of having made them laugh at a circumstance...
Heather,
This comfortable and supportive way of teaching is a great way to earn the respect of students while establishing rapport with them. I agree humor is a valuable teaching tool that helps to keep students engaged and focus, plus sharing a laugh is a great connector.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I have always been a 'story teller' and love to make people laugh. That is just my nature. It is a style that I have brought into my classroom and it has made the learning environment come alive. There are times during the lecture or hands-on portion of the class when I'll remember a funny experience I had related to the topic at hand and share it (along with gestures, facial expressions and appropriate changes in my voice) that will ease the tension and create an endorphin-raising moment for the class. I have had students tell me that during an exam they remembered one of these light moments and it actually helped them recall a key point from a lecture/skills lab and they knew what to write for the answer! I think humor can make the learning environment fun and promote retention as students will look forward to coming to class.
Zelda,
Thank you for the point about humor. It is an essential part of teaching as far as I am concerned. We all like to laugh and in doing so our minds relax a bit and then we can move on to the next phase of the course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I use light humor from day one with my class. I have older students and they are extremely nervous from day one. The light humor tends to break the tension for them. They are not afraid to respond in class for fear of getting it wrong. The class time goes by quickly and i do not have any clock watchers in the class. We develop a great class relationship.
Anthony,
Humor helps with learning when it is done in a way that everyone can get the humor and enjoy it. You are doing that with your careful approach. Laughter is a common bond for everyone.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
If I can find a comic strip and change the verbiage in the bubbles that relate to the lesson, that's a sure thing, but you have to know your audience. Are they all Americans? What is their ethnic background? Will they get the joke?
Did you hear the one about the stuttttering cat...I still can't say that one without laughing hysterically.
Tanya,
It sure does. It helps students relax and get settled into the course.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
i agree, its good to have humor in the classroom, it relieves the tension in the room, and it puts a smile on their face, I always like to see that in my students
Teresa,
What is a method you use to bring humor into your classroom?
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
humor lightens up the room to where students arn't so anixous
William,
Sounds like a fun and engaging way to get your point across and keep the students focused on the needed learning outcomes.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
I try try to insert a humorous story into my lecture at certain points. It helps to break up the monatony.
Without humor in the classroom all of any bodys lectures would be boring as H. I like to start a lecture showing a half barrel full of a fine beverage, I let the student fill in the type them selfs, then we explain how it is pressurized and continue. if they can visuelise what is going on inside of the container it makes a boring lecture fun.I teach industrial hydraulics. Humor!
Chastity,
A smile and a laugh that is incorporated into the classroom is very valuable. Humor provides a break in the learning process and it enables students to "reset" their brains so they will be ready when the next segment of content is introduced.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
With so many issues and tensions in their lives, the adult learner forgets the value of laughter and the positive effects in can have on the learning process. When you, as an instructor, is able to incorporate humor into the classroom, you make learning an easy, and stress-free routine.
