HUMOR IN THE CLASSROOM

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1 HUMOR IN THE CLASSROOM Scott McGrath This paper was completed and submitted in partial fulfillment of the Master Teacher Program, a 2-year faculty professional development program conducted by the Center for Teaching Excellence, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, Teaching at the United States Military Academy the last three years I have realized through end of the course feedback that my most effective lessons included humor. Effective application of humor can assist teachers to engage students, and even ease distress during exams. As a pedagogical tool, humor can help student anxiety, diffuse awkward classroom situations, and increase retention of lecture specific information. As college instructors we are powerful role models. It is important that we use appropriate humor in our classrooms avoiding its delivery through insult or sarcasm (Wanzer, 2002) To avoid the repeated boring lectures that instructors fear on a Monday morning or any day of the week with college students, the following guidelines will generate discussion and add energy to the classroom. Guidelines for Teaching with Humor (Powers, 2005) Humor should not be hurtful or offensive humor is something that s not hurtful and everyone can laugh at. The humor is non-hostile and non-derisive of others. When considering the use of humor an instructor needs to consider the subject, tone, intent, and the situation. o The subject considering what students have experienced can help decide what subject matter lends itself to appropriate humor. There are subjects that are offlimits for humor. o Tone Teachers need to be conscious of their level of sarcasm as too much sarcasm may turn off students who believe the instructor is being too negative. If students cannot distinguish between sarcasm and seriousness, students may become confused or offended. o Intent Before using humor, it is wise to consider if the usage will alienate or embarrass any of the students. The intent of adding humor is to facilitate learning. o The situation Be aware of the dynamics between your personality and your use of humor, and the personalities of your students. Don t be afraid to be funny Students often resist asking questions because they fear embarrassment. If the instructor shows no fear of embarrassment and models that learning the information is paramount, this modeling creates an atmosphere where students will take a chance and get involved. Make humor relevant Humor in the classroom is most effective when linked to concepts being studied. Humor that educates will help in becoming a more effective instructor. A three step method exists for delivering content relevant humor (Polio, 2001). The instructor first explains the content information without humor. The humorous

2 example, demonstration, or activity then follows the explanation. Finally, the instructor summarizes the information and how it relates to the humorous event. Act it out When an instructor is without audio/ visuals, another strategy is to act it out. The benefit of acting it out gives the instructor the ability to stop at any moment and ask questions. By acting out the situation and risking the embarrassment the students are more willing to engage in the question and answer session that follows. Use clips from movies or television shows By linking course information to popular shows the students have a greater chance to retain the course material. Another option is to have the students identify and bring in movie clips, or find youtube.com clips of the material being taught. Try music Choosing music unexpected or funny from time to time eases the tension that upcoming classes present to students and teachers. Classroom management Instead of becoming annoyed with students whose phones go off, or at students who are using their computers for other reasons. Identify a way to stop the behavior through humor. Example Test and quizzes Inputting a humorous question in a exam or quiz can relax a student and help ease test anxiety and improve performance (Berk, 1996) Use yourself as an example Sharing a personal story or demonstrating a personal experience and tying it to the course material opens up discussion in the class and the potential for students to share their experiences. Use stories and comments from students Using student examples can help open up a class early in a semester. Sharing a story or two from past classes or semesters, it sends the message that it is appropriate and desired that students interact and share in class. Be yourself Instructors need to find an application of humor that fits who they are. Choose what might work for a particular teaching style. The use of humor in the classroom, when used effectively, can result in a number of benefits for both the instructor and student. One of the benefits for the instructor is a positive evaluation from the student, but more importantly an increase level of student satisfaction in the classroom resulting in higher test grades (Wanzer, 2002). A point for consideration, not all instructors that attempt to use humor in the classroom will achieve ultimate student satisfaction and high grades. What is necessary for instructors, that desire to use humor in the classroom, is to practice with the course material and practice initiating humor at a steady pace. How can we make humor work in our classrooms? Should teachers be funny in their classrooms? (Banas 2011) In order to provide the most positive environment for students in the classroom through humor is follow these four strategies. 1. Instructors should only use humor in the classroom that they are comfortable with. Instructors do not have to be funny to be effective in the classroom. 2. The research shows that the only humor that should be demonstrated in the classroom is the humor that provides the most positive perceptions. Instructors should avoid negative or hostile humor, especially humor that isolates students. 3. Instructors must be sensitive to the ages of the students and the setting when incorporating humor. Instructors that use humor that s relevant to the material, this humor should be used. Research shows that four jokes per hour is optimal in a classroom setting.

3 4. If the goal of instructional humor is to increase learning specific steps should be followed. The humor should illustrate a concept that has been presented in class. Instructors should then summarize the material again after the laughter subsides. Paraphrasing the concept again reinforces the information and improves learning. As a pedagogical tool, humor can help student anxiety, diffuse awkward classroom situations, and increase retention of lecture specific information. Effective application of humor can assist teachers to engage students, and even ease distress during exams. Instructors that provide the most positive environment for students in the classroom are the Instructors that present humor following the four strategies making them funny in the classroom.

4 REFERENCES: Banas, J. (2011). Should Teachers Be Funny? A Publication of the National Communication Association, Vol 6, Issue 1. Berk, R. A. (1996). Student ratings of ten strategies for using humor in college. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Vol. 7, No.3, pp Polio, H. R. (2001). Humor and College Teaching. The Teaching of Psychology, pp Powers, T. (2005). Engaging Students With Humor. Observer, Vol. 18, No.12. Wanzer, M. (2002). Use of Humor in the Classroom: The good, the bad, and the not-so-funny things teachers say and do. In C. &. McCroskey, Communication for Teachers (pp ). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Annotated References: Banas, J. (2011). Should Teachers Be Funny? A Publication of the National Communication Association, Vol 6, Issue 1. The author s article on Should Teachers Be Funny? provided the balance to the overall message in this paper. The author provides 40 years of research on humor and education, consisting mostly of survey research but also including studies conducted in laboratory and real world settings as well. The article is presented in four goals that instructors should consider while implementing humor in their classrooms. Berk, R. A. (1996). Student ratings of ten strategies for using humor in college. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, Vol. 7, No.3, pp The author's book on humor in the classroom provides a guide to the type of humor that can break down the communication barriers between professors and students, who can be so different in comparison. The author's material strengthened the topics on guidelines to humor in the classroom and identified tips to include humor in tests and quizzes. Polio, H. R. (2001). Humor and College Teaching. The Teaching of Psychology, pp The author s material relating to humor in the classroom strengthened the information on the topic of classroom guidelines that were found in this paper. The author presented an argument to make humor relevant in the classroom. The author goes on to explain associating humor to your personal life and stories, while tying the humor to the course material. Powers, T. (2005). Engaging Students With Humor. Observer, Vol. 18, No.12. The information on humor in the classroom found in Ted Powers article, was another reference widely used throughout this paper. The author identified the proper use of acting out and using

5 the instructor as the main source of comic relief. The author also provides additional research that can be found when applying techniques in the classroom. Wanzer, M. (2002). Use of Humor in the Classroom: The good, the bad, and the not-so-funny things teachers say and do. In C. &. McCroskey, Communication for Teachers (pp ). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. The research from Melissa Ward on Humor in the classroom was used extensively throughout this paper. Her material that was found in Use of Humor in the Classroom presented a balance for instructors on how to effectively use good humor and how to prevent the use of distasteful humor. The author s material on humor in the classroom strengthened the topics that were discussed in classroom guidelines.