Using Humor as a Teaching Tool

The effects of humorous acts, such as jokes, anecdotes, and mishaps, may be obvious in everyday life, but not necessarily in classrooms at universities, colleges, and trade schools. Historically, humor had little value in the classroom. Currently, most researchers and teachers believe humor can be a valued tool in the classroom when it is used to motivate students, help students retain information, and create a comfortable, supportive environment. Physiological and psychological benefits are also associated with laughing. When teachers adopt a light-hearted attitude, they are often rated higher than other teachers--not only based on the entertainment level, but also on credibility.

Introduction

The value of humor is easily apparent in everyday life. A sense of humor has often been associated with reduced levels of stress, increased productivity, and overall satisfaction with life. However, is humor valued in the classroom? The benefits of using humor as an educational tool may be obvious when the class is full of elementary or middle-school aged students, who need some form of entertainment to pay attention, but not as apparent in courses of higher education.

Historically, researchers and instructors believed that humor had no place in higher education. Humor seemed not only unnecessary, but inappropriate. That view has changed. Over the last 20 years, much research has been done to show how beneficial appropriate humor can be in higher education. The research has shown that humor can reduce stress and anxiety, create a comfortable learning environment, and increase motivation, comprehension, and retention of information.

Much of the research on this topic is fairly dated. The interest in the topic is still there; however, other issues regarding teaching styles, such as perceived authority in the classroom and the effects of gender differences in the classroom, may seem more urgent to study.

This paper provides a review of the most recent and relevant research of teachers' use of humor in the classroom. The literature review is divided into four main sections: benefits of incorporating humor into the classroom, types of appropriate humor, ways to introduce humor into the classroom, and evaluations of teachers and teaching styles.

Research Interests

This paper does not include any primary research; however, there were very specific research questions to answer upon review and analysis of the literature.

RQ1: How much, if at all, does a teacher need to incorporate humor into the classroom to get students to learn and respond?

RQ2: How can an instructor learn to incorporate humor to improve the classroom environment?

Literature Review

The topic of incorporating humor into higher education classrooms has been studied extensively in the past 20 years. The position most, if not all, researchers and authors have taken is that the appropriate use of humor in the classroom makes the environment not only fun, but conducive to learning. These authors argue that appropriate reduces stress, anxiety, and uncertainty in the classroom. The reduced level of negative factors creates a classroom environment that is comfortable, safe, and supportive for the students and the teacher.

There are two themes that show up throughout the literature on this subject. Many researchers suggest instructors need more than expertise in their subject matter and appreciation of the discipline to be effective in the classroom. Others suggest that humor can be a valuable tool in any classroom, but especially in "dread" courses. "Dread" refers to courses in which the subject matter and/or classroom environment is perceived to be exceptionally challenging, frightening, or sensitive. Subjects that are often dreaded are statistics, research development, and sexual education because students perceive the content to be difficult to study and/or uncomfortable to discuss amongst a group of peers.

Incorporating Humor

The researchers advocate the value of constructive and positive humor in the classroom. Something to think about is using humor effectively, which means the classroom should not be run like a circus, but still have rules and discipline. The students should realize there are appropriate times to use humor in the classroom, the humor should not be at the expense of the teacher or other students, and should not interrupt learning. Humor should be used to set a tone that students can appreciate and respect. It may be beneficial for the teacher to incorporate humor at the beginning of class to set the tone. Or, the teacher can use humor during the class time to provide a breather.

Also, some students will not respond well to humor in the classroom. The classroom dynamic is important to consider before you incorporate humor. According to Girdlefanny, "Any comedian can tell you that it's important to know your audience, and any teacher can tell you that it's important to know your class" (25). Teachers don't need to be naturally funny to create an environment that promotes appropriate humor. Effective teaching and learning is built upon the relationship between the teacher and students, and this interactive relationship can be enhanced with a good sense of humor.

In Provine's literature on integrating humor (2000), there are five tactics and results associated with the integration of humor.

The first is increasing interpersonal eye contact with students which will establish a cooperative environment that promotes learning.

The second tactic is to create a casual and safe atmosphere for the students, which can be done in several ways. Increased eye contact with students creates a comfortable environment because the students feel as though the teacher sees them as a team (instead of as lowly students). Encouraging participation from all students also shows the students that the teacher values their feedback and cares about what they have to say.

The third tactic is to adopt a laugh-ready attitude. When something silly or unexpected happens and the teacher is willing to laugh about it, students can feel at ease and realize their teachers are just real people too. A teacher should not laugh at students when they answer questions incorrectly or accidentally trip when walking to their desks. It is important to promote positive types of humor, which never includes making fun of anyone. However, when the teacher makes a mistake, s/he can laugh and allow the students to laugh. Self-deprecating humor does not hurt others as long as it doesn't make the initiator uncomfortable.

The fourth tactic is to provide humorous materials and examples for the students. The easiest materials to show and discuss are certainly content-relevant examples. The teacher can show poor examples of the work as a point of what not to do (but shouldn't use the work of a previous student to make this point).

Benefits of Incorporating Humor

Physiological benefits of laughter include lowered blood pressure and pulse, improved circulation and respiration, and increased release of endorphins. Psychological benefits of laughter include reduced anxiety and stress, enhanced self-esteem, increased motivation, and an inviting and positive emotional and social environment that increases students' focus. [Garner, 2006].

According to Torok, McMorris, and Lin's 2004 article, Is Humor an Appreciated Teaching Tool?, humor that is used appropriately in the classroom, "has the potential to humanize, illustrate, defuse, encourage, reduce anxiety, and keep people thinking" (14). The use of humor can help set a tone in the classroom that invites participation and increases learning.

Another reason to incorporate humor into the classroom is simply that a sense of humor will benefit students outside of the classroom. Snotty Girdlefanny (his humorous alias, not his real name) mentions studies that discovered that most of the top-level managers and people who get promoted have strong senses of humor (23). Girdlefanny also points out that teachers must resort "to the use of a number of tools and tactics [to keep their students' attention]. Among these may be humor" (22).

Humor may often be overlooked as a teaching strategy because of the historical views that it was necessary and appropriate for the classroom to have a serious tone.

Teachers who incorporate appropriate humor in the classroom are often rated higher and considered to be more credible than teachers who do not make use of humor.

Appropriate Humor

Most of the research on teaching styles shows that the appropriate use of humor in the classroom can enhance students' experiences in the course and increase retention of knowledge. But what kind of humor is appropriate?

Research shows that there are many known types of humor, and there are certain types that are more appropriate for the classroom. Types of humor studied include funny stories or anecdotes, funny comments, jokes, professional humor, puns, cartoons, riddles, sarcasm, and inappropriate subjects (sexual, ethnic, hostile).

Students in the research studies believed funny stories, funny comments, jokes, and professional humor are the most appropriate and effective types of humor to incorporate into the classroom. Funny stories, comments, and jokes should be evaluated before they are used in the classroom because their value will be judged subjectively by the listener. Professional humor, or content-relevant humor, certainly can increase the students' retention of information because of its relevance to the subject matter. Professional humor may include the jokes other people tell about the profession the students are pursuing or an example of poor communication in the field.

Negative results can be associated with the use of sarcasm or inappropriate humor, such as sexual, ethnic, or hostile jokes.

Sarcasm has been shown to have negative effects on students for two reasons. First, the tone of voice often associated with sarcasm can be difficult to judge, especially when the subject matter is sensitive. Second, sarcasm can unnecessarily be directed at others in the classroom, which is hurtful and embarrassing. Torok, McMorris, and Lin (2004) even coined a term to describe the hurtful effects of sarcasm; the coined term is "scarcasm."

While sarcasm in this study was viewed as a negative form of humor, students often list sarcasm as one of the most effective and entertaining forms of humor. Teachers need to monitor the use of sarcastic humor to ensure that it is used positively instead of hurtfully. Sarcastic comments that are directed at other students' shortcomings or weaknesses should not ever enter the classroom.

Evaluations of Teachers & Teaching Styles

The research on incorporating humor in the classroom shows that humor can create a comfortable environment that increases learning. The teacher's use of humor also has an effect on student evaluations of the teacher.

Students believed their instructors' use of appropriate humor in the classroom created a relaxed environment that promoted learning. Students appreciated content-relevant humor because it was interesting and helped them remember the subject matter.

The use of humor in the classroom not only created a positive environment, but also led the students to believe the teacher was more credible and focused on students.

Conclusion

As T.S. Eliot said, "Humor is also a way of saying something serious." Humor can set a positive tone in classrooms of higher education, especially in classes where the material or course format is perceived to be difficult and/or sensitive. A light-hearted tone in the classroom reduces the students' anxieties and creates a comfortable, supportive environment. The use of appropriate humor also results in physiological and psychological benefits, such as lowered heart rate and increased motivation.

Occasional humor in the classroom can help get students motivated and paying attention. Humor also aids in the retention of information.

Of course, if the humor is used to poke fun at a student or a student's beliefs, the results will be negative. Teachers should make sure the humor does not replace the learning, and should only use humor that is appropriate and positive, such as content-relevant humor, self-deprecating humor, and anecdotes.

The benefits of incorporating humor into the classroom do not only affect the students, but the teacher as well. Teachers who adopt a light-hearted tone are often rated higher than instructors who leave humor out of the classroom entirely. The teachers are rated higher not only for their personality, but for their perceived credibility.

While much of the research on this topic was done 20 years ago, the studies still lend to the conclusion that humor does belong in the classroom when it is used not just to entertain, but to aid in the learning and development of students.

References

Flowers, J. 2001. The value of humor in technology education. The Technology Teacher. 10-13.

Garner, R. 2006. Humor in pedagogy. Journal of College Teaching. 54 (1): 177-180.

Girdlefanny, S. 2004. Using humor in the classroom. Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers. 22-25.

Kher, N., S. Molstad, R. Donahue. 1999. Using humor in the college classroom to enhance teaching effectiveness in 'dread courses'. College Student Journal. 33 (3): 400-407.

Torok, S., R. McMorris, and W. Lin. 2004. Is humor an appreciated teaching tool? Perceptions of professors' teaching styles and use of humor. 52 (1): 14-20.