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The Lighter Side of LearningHumor can be an element of effective communication in the classroom. I do not believe that professors want to be characterized as entertainers. But I most certainly support the notion of college faculty as communicators, and I view humor as one part of effective communication. Since the 1970s, there has been an accumulating body of research about humor and its relationship to teaching and learning. Conclusions are consistent: A strong positive relationship exists between teacher uses of humor, student evaluations of teaching, and student reports of learning. There is not a direct causal link between humor and learning, but researchers believe that humor serves to arouse student interest and attention. This increased interest, in turn, motivates students and increases the likelihood they will understand and retain information. Students report they have a more enjoyable learning experience when teachers incorporate humor. Humor and interactive teacher-student moments ease the tedium often felt in class lectures and routines. Students appreciate a teacher's efforts to acknowledge a lighter side of learning. Humor as a Coping Strategy Teachers can, for example, use humor to encourage students to relax and to brainstorm creative ideas about the material being studied. Defining Teacher Humor In my studies of humor, teachers most frequently report using stories and anecdotes, exaggeration, jokes on self, and visuals. The most cited reasons for using humor: to help students feel comfortable, to relieve tension, to create interest and gain student attention, and to have a good time. One of my experiences as an adult learner taking a course in intensive Spanish brought home the effectiveness of teacher humor. Senor Barelas loved teaching and used humor to put his fearful students at ease in their fledgling attempts to communicate in a new language. He often told us humorous stories, in Spanish, and could easily assess our understanding of the language by our laughter (or moans and boos at the puns and corny jokes). Teacher Behaviors Gorham and Christophel (1990) found that "immediate" teachers used humor more often in the classroom, and Wanzer and Frymier (1999) found that humor is a means for enhancing immediacy. Students reported learning more from teachers they perceived as having high humor orientations. Student Considerations I expect that some of this disparity in responding to humor comes from differences in sophistication about the topic discussed. Teachers may sometimes see the subtleties more clearly and get the humor more readily. Misunderstanding can also be attributed at times to the generation gap between the teacher and students. This gap suggests that different background experiences might influence what each side of the generational divide see as funny. Nonetheless, good-natured humor is worth a try. Still, faculty need to recognize that teachers are in an overwhelming "competition" with multimedia and high-tech stimuli. Student thresholds for amusement are becoming ever more difficult to attain. And, as much as we intend to create a safe learning experience, we need to remind ourselves that students are in a much more precarious position in the classroom than teachers. This reality reflects both role disparity and the system of evaluation and grading. Students participate from a position of vulnerability. They experience stress, anxiety, ambiguity, and uncertainty. In this context, humor may be an additional overload for students who are having enough trouble tackling the basics, let alone trying to figure out why something is funny. My experience with Debbie, the "tale from real life" described earlier, is a good example of the results of a study on teasing. As this story demonstrates, teachers need to reinforce a positive relationship and safe environment before they try humor. If we don't, vulnerable students might readily assume a negative intent, even when a comment is designed to be positive and supportive. Dallinger and Prince (1984) found 100 percent accuracy in interpretation of teasing that was intended by the teaser as negative, but only 65 percent accuracy when the teasing was meant to be positive. This tells me that I must frequently assure students that they are safe and of my positive regard for them. I also need to clearly signal that I am teasing and not being serious, and I need to know when I can tease in a positive manner. The students' delicate position in the classroom role structure cannot be emphasized enough. For example, joking about an easy test item that 70 percent of the class had wrong is a definite "no-no" for any instructor. As much as I intend to create a safe learning experience, I also need to remind myself that students, like everyone else, laugh for a number of reasons. They might be genuinely amused. But they might also be unsure of what's going on, following what others are doing, or they might be laughing because they're anxious and stressed. My teaching ego may want to believe that the laughter I hear is because of my wit, but I need to consider other possible reasons. Departures, Not Conclusions Interestingly enough, a departure can be seen as "an act of starting out." My hope is that this article serves as an impetus for further explorations of the uses of humor in the classroom. I've realized that I approach my work in better spirits when I anticipate that it will be an enjoyable experience - how novel (she says with a sarcastic tone)! Sarcasm, by the way, is another tricky and subtle humor device, mostly conveyed by tone of voice and not the literal meaning. Students appear to be less comfortable with teacher sarcasm, unless the teacher is the target, and then only in small amounts. |
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