"Humor can act as a social lubricant or a social retardant in the educational setting. It can educate or denigrate, heal or harm, embrace or deface. It's a powerful communication tool, no matter which side is chosen."
"Joy Master vs. Joke Maker vs. Life Mocker vs. Fun Meister
It is crucial for us to identify our humor style--it is such a powerful tool--we need to use it in an empowering manner! Please discuss ways we can utilize this information to make our classrooms, colleagues, and schools better.
Does your humor style bring you closer to your students?
Does it enliven them or deaden them?
Is it helping you reach your teaching goals?
Is it enhancing and promoting a learning environment in your classroom?
11 comments:
I believe my humor style brings me closer to my students. My humor style makes my classroom less threatening and more approachable as a teacher. I believe the students feel comfortable when asking for help which allows me to reach my teaching goals. It definitely promotes a learning enviornment in the classroom.
I love making my kids laugh! At the age level that I taught at,(2nd Grade), it was sometimes challenging to bring the kids back after being funny or saying something silly. But it was so worthwhile to bring humor to the classroom. I see bringing humor into the classroom as the same as pumping oxygen into a room. It lifts sprits, it lightens the mood,and it makes for a more relaxed learning environment. I am a strong believer in making the environment as safe and friendly as possible so they can maximize their learning potential in every way! Plus, I think adding humor to your classroom humanizes you as a person to your students. Everyone laughs so it makes you more "real". When I was a student, I can remember the teachers that were so stern and did not bring their sense of humor to the classroom and unfortunatly, I don't have good memories of their classes. For those teachers who did in fact bring humor to the classroom, I have very fond and vivid memories of their classes! As a teacher, I want to be remembered as someone who made learning fun and exciting!
Without humor, I wouldn't be able to teach.
I use it in virtually every situation in my classroom.
I like words and language, and I use them to keep the students alert. For example, I might refer to William Shakespeare as "Big Willie." Julius Caesar is "Big Julie."
Another example of my humor style comes from ESPN's Chris Berman. Like Berman, I use the first and last names of my students and make a connection to our language. For example, I called a student named Lucas Allsage "Spice Rack."
For most students, a nickname opens doors. If I sense the student dislikes his or her nickname, I'll give them another or skip the nickname completely.
I also tell jokes that may or may not relate to the activity of the day. Puns are big too.
I have a student recorder who writes down any humorous quote from me or another student during the quarter. We review them at quarter's end. The kids look forward to remembering those funny moments.
Most students respond well to these humorous encounters, though sometimes I face pupils who would rather not interact in this way. Occasionally, I find a student who is cold at first, but warms up because of the humorous approach.
I definitely use humor in my classroom. At first, my students don't know how to take it, but I agree with what angela said, "I think adding humor to your classroom humanizes you as a person to your students". Kids are often taken back when I use humor because some of them haven't had a teacher use humor with them yet. It takes some time for those kids to warm up to the humor, but almost all of them do. Once in a blue moon you will find a student who doesn't appreciate the humor. When that happens, I just make sure I can relate with them in another manner.
I am also a stong user of words and language (as Dennis pointed out). I try to rhyme things in math that relate to the topic we are talking about (IE when in doubt, FOIL it out!). The kids really seem to get a kick out of this, and it helps them to remember the idea better. There have been a couple time when students have come back to see me years after I had them in my class, and they repeat one of my rhymes...and I get a kick out of that.
I don't know if there is a list of specific styles of humor somewhere, so I'm just sharing how I use it. I've been teaching Read 180 for four years, and now I'm returning to the classroom to teach 8th grade Lang. Arts and History. I'm very excited to have a wider range of abilities and students who will "get" my jokes!
When I can keep myself from drowning in the serious nature of our business and the outlandish restraints and conditions under which we work, I use humor often. Corny jokes are always good for a groan. So often something that is said or some words we are reading remind me of song lyrics, so I'll start singing - also good for a groan!! When I used to teach the U.S. Constitution (pretty dry material), I created a CD filled with songs that matched the ideas:
(1) Congress is assigned the task of creating the postal service = "Wait a Minute, Mr. Postman" and "Return to Sender".
(2) Speaker of the House reminds me of "Leader of the Pack".
(3) Congress has the power to declare war (that's funny in itself!) = "War, HUH, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin'! Say it again."
(4) Taxes = The Beatles' "Taxman"
etc.
Puns are ok.
Many times my jokes are bombs and I just have to move on.
Here's a story I just found online:
Health and Playfulness
Playfulness is one of the signs scientists look for when trying to determine the health of a herd of animals. The healthier the animals and the safer the herd, the more they play.
The same is true of the human herd. Especially herds of children. As long as the kids are healthy and feeling safe, left to their own resources, play is the thing they do. [Tried to italicize this sentence, but it ain't workin']
Adults of the herd play less, at least observably, because for the most part they are not as healthy and definitely not as safe as they were when they were children. And when they are being playful, they tend to feel healthier, safer, almost like they did when they were kids, and maybe even better. Simply by playing, they reclaim their health, their community, their well-being, the energy of their youth.
Adult human beings are different than the adults of any other species I can think of, in that they can choose to be playful, even when they don't feel safe or particularly good.
~ Bernie DeKoven
Using humor in the classroom makes it easier for students to learn. Humor makes a situation more comfortable, especially if the topic is an uncomfortable one. If you are more comfortable, you are more willing and able to do what you need to do - in the case of students, that is to learn. I also don't think the use of "humor" has to mean laughing out loud, or even chuckling. I think it can mean looking at something differently.
I teach American history. When I talk about the Middle Passage of the slaves from Africa to the New World, I want students to get a feel for it, not just read words. I created an interactive classroom activity which students think is going to be funny as I explain it. I have divided the room into stations which represent the four parts of the Middle Passage. As I assign parts for students to play at each station and tell them what they have to do, they think it is pretty cool. Students who don't have a part at a station become the slaves who experience the Middle Passage. Those students must huddle closely together, and can move only in a pack by shuffling. Another slave overseer keeps them in line. I describe the actions needed and the students follow them. I play storm music on the CD player when the ship is crossing the Atlantic and the slaves have to bob and weave as I flash the lights to create lightening. At first, it does seem funny. Then as the students at the stations, and the overseer get into their parts, it becomes more serious. Slaves are sold off or traded at different ports and go off with new masters who are cruel. Some "die" and are thrown overboard. I started off with humor to hook them into learning about a tragic situation in our history. No matter which part students played in the drama, they remember it and have empathy. I don't think it would have been so effective without humor at the beginning.
I don’t think I use much humor in my classroom, that’s why I’m taking this online course! I want to increase the use of humor in a positive way. Since I’ll be teaching a new course this coming school year I thought what a perfect opportunity to mesh humor with my new curriculum. I love puns and will also break into song if it emphasizes concepts. New vocabulary also allows numerous times for songs and jokes. I find it very powerful when I can share a story about how I made a mistake and was able to laugh about it. I love being the one that the joke is about. That is something that all 9th graders need to observe. Sometimes both teachers and students take education too seriously! I wonder if there is a correlation between humor and classroom management? I also think it is very important for student teachers to see humor being used. Life is pretty serious for most of them and especially during student teaching, you need to laugh.
My humor syle brings my students and I closer. It enlivens them, and helps me reach my teaching goals. It enhances the learning environment in the classroom. It keeps my students motivated and enthusiastic about learning as well as myself. Without humor school would feel like it was 25 years ago when I couldn't stand school, boring.
I'm definitely a "Joy Master". Looking at the chart on page 15, it describes the atmosphere I try to establish in my classroom - warmhearted, humanizing, healing, inclusive, inspiring - but I really hadn't thought of that as a style of humor. I have a few charactoristics or the "Joke Maker" also, but want to build on those.
My humor style could be described as “Joke Maker” with some elements of “Joy Master.” I tell jokes to lighten up the mood of the classroom and my students are usually engaged when I’m telling a story. By reading page 18, I notice that I exhibit the negative trait of self-deprecation. My goal is to concentrate more on the “Joy Master” style of humor.
I truly believe that my humor style helps me to make stronger connections with my students. I find myself using humor to “brighten up” a lesson where the students need an extra boost to focus or pay attention. The last class hour of the day is when the children are mentally drained. During this period, I rely on humor to get the main points of the lesson across. I also try to inject humor into a stressful situation. When I have to talk with a student about poor behavior, I try to end the discussion with some humor to “lighten” the situation. I would say that my use of humor in the classroom room enlivens my students. Humor is a way to reach my teaching goals, because students are interested it what we are going to do when they walk into the room. Over the past few years, students have commented that my classroom is the most fun. I bring that up only because I feel that humor does enhances the learning environment and I know that students are learning the content that I teach. When children look forward to attending a class, they will be more open to the material that is being covered.
I couldn't do this job if I couldn't make kids laugh. In fact on Mondays or other days when I have to work especially hard for some laughter it ruins my day. That is why I always try to start the week with a good political cartoon or a humorous quote from a celebrity from over the weekend totry and get kids rolling. I think it helps bring me so much closer to my students and it gets the kids interested in your class. As a high school teacher, I think to reach your goals as a teacher you have to have an element of trust to get to these kids. I think when you use humor and often times personal humor, it brings about some trust to the kids that this guy is okay. Can laughter take you away from achieving your goals? Well sure but that is only if you let it effect it. You have to be able to get kids on tract, but I think once you show the kids that you can have some classroom time for fun, they also realize they have to get their work done.
I think another important aspect in using humor in the classroom as a social studies teacher is it fosters more discussion. When you show humor in the classroom kids also get more comfortable talking with someone who has shown a willingness to laugh. And I also think it is good to show them it is okay to laugh at themselves for discussion purposes. As everyone knows kids can give some incredibly silly answers that you have to laugh at, and if they feel okay giving a wrong answer once in a while, and making a polite joke about it, they will not be afraid to talk later.
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