{"id":315,"date":"2018-02-28T14:51:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-28T19:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/?p=315"},"modified":"2023-08-29T10:35:11","modified_gmt":"2023-08-29T14:35:11","slug":"take-my-examplease-when-humor-does-and-doesnt-work-in-the-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2018\/02\/28\/take-my-examplease-when-humor-does-and-doesnt-work-in-the-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTake My Exam\u2026Please!\u201d When Humor Does (and Doesn\u2019t) Work in the Classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Cliff Rouder, Assistant Director of the CAT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/teaching.temple.edu\/sites\/teaching\/files\/styles\/featured_image\/public\/edvice\/students_lecture%20smiling_0.jpg?itok=FQac9tMa&amp;c=7291eae7570a8930e6d7019a638a8ced\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Believe it or not, there\u2019s a lot of humorous research&#8211;I mean, research on humor&#8211;40 year\u2019s worth, give or take. &nbsp;Everything from theories of humor to the benefits of it in an educational setting has been explored. &nbsp;Too bad I didn\u2019t know about this when I was choosing my dissertation topic. &nbsp;\u201cSorry I missed your final, professor, but I was out until 4:00 a.m. at the comedy club doing my dissertation research.\u201d &nbsp;Ahh, to dream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, let\u2019s get serious about humor for a moment. &nbsp;A&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tandfonline.com\/doi\/full\/10.1080\/03634523.2010.496867?scroll=top&amp;needAccess=true\">review of humor in educational settings <\/a>published in 2011 and spanning 4 decades revealed that appropriately used humor can do a number of pretty great things in the classroom, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Creating or strengthening a bond between students and professor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Easing stress or tension<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enhancing students\u2019 understanding of the material<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating a sense of wonder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Making the content more relatable and helping students remember things better<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m sure you can think of a time when humor had one or more of these positive effects in your classroom. &nbsp;But what&nbsp;<em>kind&nbsp;<\/em>of humor has this power? &nbsp;Here we can look to Instructional Humor Processing Theory (IHPT). &nbsp;The theory is two-fold: 1. The mere act of students recognizing the humor will increase students\u2019 attention, and 2. Students need to perceive and then figure out some type of incongruity in the humorous message. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many different ways IHPT can be put into practice. &nbsp;Google \u201ctypes of humor\u201d and you\u2019ll see lists ranging from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.psychcentral.com\/psychoanalysis-now\/2015\/05\/7-kinds-of-humor-and-what-they-mean\/\">seven<\/a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywritingtips.com\/20-types-and-forms-of-humor\/\">20<\/a>&nbsp;types. &nbsp;I\u2019m going to pick two that I\u2019ve used in my own classroom that had at least one of the positive effects above (based on comments from my students each semester). &nbsp;Which benefits do you think my students mentioned? &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Self-deprecating humor:<\/strong>&nbsp;I would tell my students the story of when I began my dietetic internship program. &nbsp;I was rotating in the pediatric unit and was asked to check out a child\u2019s eyes and nose&#8211;or at least that\u2019s what I thought the dietitian had said. &nbsp;I went up to the child\u2019s bed and tried desperately to think of what nutrition-related issue may be affecting his eyes and nose. After a few minutes of not seeing anything wrong with the child\u2019s eyes and nose, I had to confess. &nbsp;Bracing for the worst, the dietitian instead burst out laughing. &nbsp;Know why? &nbsp;She had actually asked me to check his \u201cI\u2019s and O\u2019s\u201d (fluid intake and fluid output), not his eyes and nose! &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Physical humor:<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;I was role-playing a less-than-professional hospital dietitian pretending to assess a patient (played by a brave student). &nbsp;I \u201cplopped\u201d the medical chart and all my notes on her bed, hitting her leg. &nbsp;I then asked her questions while looking in the mirror combing my hair; I made a ghastly facial expression looking at her pureed dinner, and to add insult to injury, I made sure to trip over her IV lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other types of humor you can try are plays on words (one of my favorites), improvisational, and observational, to name just a few.&nbsp;<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBut what if I\u2019m not especially funny?\u201d you may be asking. &nbsp;If you are really uncomfortable using humor when it\u2019s not natural to you, no worries, there are&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wiley.com\/en-us\/Student+Engagement+Techniques%3A+A+Handbook+for+College+Faculty-p-9780470281918\">other ways to engage students<\/a>. But if you do want to try your hand at humor but need a little help, without too much effort, you can find online or print humor that can apply to your course content. &nbsp;You can also harness the humor of your students. &nbsp;However, before turning your classroom into a&nbsp;<em>Comedy Central<\/em>&nbsp;TV special, note that there are some types of humor that should be avoided in the classroom. &nbsp;Here are some handy guidelines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>When in doubt, leave it out. &nbsp;<\/strong>If there is even the slightest chance that the humor could be perceived as inappropriate or offensive, then leave it out. &nbsp;Think bodily humor, blue humor, and topical humor like political humor. &nbsp;Remember, though, if something slips out that evokes a less-than-desirable verbal or non-verbal reaction, address it on the spot. &nbsp;Sometimes eating a piece of humble pie is just the ticket to show that you are human and can take responsibility for your mistakes. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Too much, Jerry. Too much.<\/strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;This line from the sitcom \u201cSeinfeld\u201d highlights two potential problems: overdoing the humor to the point of distraction, and referring to outdated or obscure sources of humor. &nbsp;Speaking of which, what about the title of this piece? &nbsp;How many of you knew this was a take-off on the classic line, \u201cTake my wife\u2026please!\u201d from the popular comedian Henny Youngman back in 1950\u2019s and 60\u2019s? &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I know what you\u2019re thinking: So what\u2019s the big deal if they don\u2019t get the reference?\u201d &nbsp;Well, I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve experienced humor that went over your head. &nbsp;It made you feel a little alienated or even downright embarrassed, right? &nbsp;So let\u2019s avoid putting our students in that situation. &nbsp;You may be asking, \u201cWhat if I preface or follow the humorous reference with an explanation? &nbsp;Would that help?\u201d &nbsp;It may, but having to explain it kind of kills the spontaneity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Perhaps the best litmus test for whether to use humor (and what kind and how much) is to ask yourself, \u201c<strong>Will the humor enhance learning<\/strong>?\u201d &nbsp;As with many things in life, moderation and thoughtfulness are key, so when you see an opportunity for humor to enhance learning, use it judiciously and respectfully. &nbsp;Otherwise, your classroom \u201cshow\u201d may get cancelled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more on the benefits of humor and guidelines for effective use in the classroom, check out a few resources&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/eric.ed.gov\/?id=EJ908233\">here<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edutopia.org\/blog\/laughter-learning-humor-boosts-retention-sarah-henderson\">here <\/a>or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facultyfocus.com\/articles\/effective-teaching-strategies\/using-humor-classroom\/\">here<\/a>. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What has been your experience as a professor using humor in your classroom? &nbsp;Humorous minds want to know!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cliff Rouder, Assistant Director of the CAT Believe it or not, there\u2019s a lot of humorous research&#8211;I mean, research on humor&#8211;40 year\u2019s worth, give or take. &nbsp;Everything from theories of humor to the benefits of it in an educational setting has been explored. &nbsp;Too bad I didn\u2019t know about this when I was choosing my &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/2018\/02\/28\/take-my-examplease-when-humor-does-and-doesnt-work-in-the-classroom\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">\u201cTake My Exam\u2026Please!\u201d When Humor Does (and Doesn\u2019t) Work in the Classroom<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29430,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-course-design"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":316,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions\/316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.temple.edu\/edvice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}