{"id":62306,"date":"2022-04-01T04:41:44","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T08:41:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=62306"},"modified":"2022-04-01T04:41:44","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T08:41:44","slug":"humor-in-teaching-a-powerful-tool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/humor-in-teaching-a-powerful-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"Humor in teaching: a powerful tool"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Humor is an everyday element.\u00a0We witness it in the media, at a gathering of friends, we use it with the family, at work… It is an inherent element of our condition as human beings.\u00a0So what about teaching? Are we aware of the power it has?<\/span><\/p>\n

It is likely that we remember in our student stage a teacher who, with dynamism and closeness, told us anecdotes or used humor in some way, always to help us learn better.\u00a0As teachers, those of us who teach may remember humorous moments in the classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Benefits of humor<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Humor has already been rewarded in books as old as the Bible or the Koran.\u00a0In the latter, we find phrases like “He who makes his companions laugh deserves paradise.”\u00a0And it is that humor is as old as the human being.<\/span><\/p>\n

But why do we use it and receive it positively?\u00a0The answer can be reduced to one sentence: because it makes us feel good, as long as it is not used for negative purposes, as we will see later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Laughter, which is the basic response to a sense of humor, has been shown to have\u00a0<\/span>numerous benefits<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0Among them, it reduces cortisol levels and produces endorphins.\u00a0In addition, it improves memory, and sharpens creativity and imagination.<\/span><\/p>\n

Use of humor in teaching<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When we talk about humor in teaching, we must focus on the two key elements of its use: the teacher and the student.\u00a0Each teacher has a different scale or orientation of humor.\u00a0This orientation has to do with the closeness of the teacher, and, in general, the greater the use of humor, the greater the closeness.<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the students, many affirm that humor helps them remember a concept and makes classes more bearable.\u00a0It also serves as a “reset” when dealing with difficult concepts.\u00a0In addition, it has been\u00a0<\/span>shown<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that students miss fewer classes in which humor is used by the teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n

Adapt humor to context<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Context is essential to know how to use humor.\u00a0Teachers should ask themselves, for example, how old are the students.\u00a0Also what subject they are learning and what culture we are in.\u00a0In other words, they must analyze the profile of the student body.<\/span><\/p>\n

In relation to the latter, it is known that, for example, the use of humor in Chinese culture is not as well seen as\u00a0<\/span>in other cultures<\/span><\/a>\u00a0.\u00a0This is possibly due to the strong hierarchy established between teachers and students.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not everything<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Broadly speaking, there are two types of humor: recommended and not recommended.\u00a0We know that humor can be a double-edged sword, as it can sometimes have a negative effect.\u00a0For example, if it is used in excess, it can undermine the credibility of the teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n

With respect to different typologies, the humor related to the subject can be positive.\u00a0This can be used, for example, to remind a concept through humorous metaphors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another recommended humor is self-criticism, that is, laughing at oneself.\u00a0This last type of humor can be positive because a bridge to greater credibility is established in the teacher’s relationship with the student.<\/span><\/p>\n

It goes without saying that all racist, sexist humor or humor that is unidirectional, that is, directed at one person or group only, should be rejected.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who and for what?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It is important that it is used only by those teachers who feel comfortable with it.\u00a0Authenticity is a crucial element in handling this parameter.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can have several purposes: to remind a concept, to smooth difficult moments or to bring positions between the teacher and the student closer.<\/span><\/p>\n

On what medium and support can it be used?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Support can be very diverse.\u00a0Video or some other visual support can be used, such as flashcards or memes.\u00a0Music can also be used with adaptations of a different nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regarding the medium, if we want to use it in a virtual class, we have some more element regarding the staging, since it allows us to use camera filters.\u00a0In addition, it is an ideal environment to dynamize with audiovisual material.<\/span><\/p>\n

So how should we organize ourselves?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The first and perhaps most important thing is to analyze the context: what is the profile of the student and the place of the classes, as we mentioned before.\u00a0Regarding the latter, it is not only important to know what means we have, but what subject we are going to teach.\u00a0Once these issues have been analysed, we will focus our attention on the most difficult concepts and organize the class thinking about them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another important element is the quantity and the way of introducing it.\u00a0We must not use it excessively, since its use can be tiring for the students and can undermine the image of the teacher.\u00a0Finally, we must use it little by little and see if its use works in the context in which we are.\u00a0If we create a dynamic environment, it is possible that the humor is working.<\/span><\/p>\n

In short, in the busy world we live in, we need to attract attention, energize the class and empathize with the students.\u00a0Humor can be an interesting tool to achieve these purposes.\u00a0Furthermore, and as Samuel Taylor, the English poet and critic, said:<\/span><\/p>\n

“No well-organized mind lacks a sense of humor.”<\/em><\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Manuel Tizon Diaz is a Professor Contracted Doctor at UNIR – International University of La Rioja<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Humor is an everyday element.\u00a0We witness it in the media, at a gathering of friends, we use it with the family, at work… It is an inherent element of our condition as human beings.\u00a0So what about teaching? Are we aware of the power it has? It is likely that we remember in our student stage […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[12644],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-62306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","tag-humour"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHumor in teaching: a powerful tool - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/humor-in-teaching-a-powerful-tool\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Humor in teaching: a powerful tool - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Humor is an everyday element.\u00a0We witness it in the media, at a gathering of friends, we use it with the family, at work… It is an inherent element of our condition as human beings.\u00a0So what about teaching? 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