Totally agrre ,when i have a mistake and i realize it or they realized i kind of make fun of myself and that breaks the ice ,giving the students the feeling we are not gods and we don't know it all ,but better yet we are big enough to accept we made a mistake.
Hi Marcia,
I've used the "I was just testing you" approach. It works beautifully. I teach communications classes and ask the students to identify mistakes I've made. I believe humor is an essential quality in teaching. The ability to laugh at a situation and at ourselves is essential. We are all human. None of us is perfect. I've found too that students remember a point if humor is somehow attached to it.
Hi David,
Humor seems to be a nice healing for a lot of different things. Great, how you continued!
Patricia
The offense was minor and I treated it with humor. We continued class afterwards.
Humor will help relax everyone.
I feel that shows the students that you are human, and they can relate to that. Add humor to your mistake, makes it easier to move the class along
Hi David,
When the students catch you, it is not always a bad thing. Students need to know that we are far from perfect, and even we mess up from time to time.
Patricia
I got caught doing something in class I wasn't supposed to be doing. I laughed at myself and the whole class relaxed from that point forward. They knew I was human and could make errors, too.
I love humor. I do tell students that it's ok in some situations to make mistakes. This is how we help with learning. I go over mistakes with everyone to help them feel comfortable and so they understand the correct answer. It did take some doing to get them past the I'm perfect and don't ask me to be anything else, but now it is working and they aren't afraid to tell me.
Hi Ronald,
You're right! Sometimes humor can make you look real silly, if it is not your personality.
Patricia
Hi Kristy,
I concur! Super mixture, learning while having fun. Fun makes your students want to continue coming each day. No one wants to be bored.
Patricia
Hi Brandon,
I concur! Laughter is such a positive thing, and we all need it and can benefit from it.
Patricia
Hi Qunna,
It sure does! Laughter is healty, and everyone needs it.
Patricia
Laughter is the best cure to any bad day. It always lightens the moods present in the room.
I agree whole heartedly. Our students have enough stress and pressure in their life. They come to class everyday for a better life and we have the duty of helping them get there. I have never seen laughter cause a student to quit school or give up hope, in fact I have only experienced the opposite.
I highly agree with this. Laughter is indeed the best medicine for everyone. No matter what the mood is in the class, it can always be lightened up with a good laugh. Tension is at ease and stressors are forgotten for the moment. I also feel students will better remember whatever material is being delivered if they can relate it to a fun experience in class.
I agree with you wholeheartedly! In any presentation I have ever seen, whether it is teaching, preaching, or presenting a talk on a specific topic, humor always helps. It is important, however, to be yourself, as humor does not come as easily to some as it does with others.
Hi Nia,
Laughter is good for everyone. Students do feel alot more at ease whenever laughter is involved.
Patricia
I agree. I shows the students that you are human and are accountable for your actions. Especially in nursing, members of this profession have to have integrity and need to be accountable for their actions, because they are caring for individuals lives.
I laugh a lot in class, because it tends to decrease the tension and release stress for students.
