Using Humour in Teaching

Dr. David M. Kaufman, M.Eng., Ed.D., Director,

Learning and Instructional Development Centre

Simon Fraser University

Burnaby, BC, Canada

Workshop presented at the POD Conference

Atlanta, GA

October, 2002

Objectives

By the completion of this workshop, participants should be able to:

1. describe various techniques for using humour in their teaching

2. apply some of these methods for using humour in their teaching

3. explain the rationale and benefits for using humour in the teaching/ learning process

4. discuss appropriate and inappropriate uses of humour

5. locate appropriate print and internet resources.

Definitions of Humour

“The best definition of humour is: Humour may be defined as the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life, and the artistic expression thereof. I think this is the best because I wrote it myself.”

- Stephen B. Leacock

(Ziegler, 1998)

“Quality of being funny” (amusing, comical)

- Collins English Dictionary

“Facetiousness, comicality”

- Concise Oxford Dictionary

“Humour is communication (written, verbal, drawn or otherwise displayed) including teasing, jokes, witticisms, satire, sarcasm, cartoons, puns, clowning, which induces (or is intended to induce) amusement, with or without laughing or smiling.”

- Ziegler, 1998

Origin of the word “humour”: Latin: “humourem: which means moisture. When the flow of the four Hypocratean humours (phlegm, blood, choler and bile) was normal, a person was said to be “in good humour” (Ziegler, 1998)

Benefits of Humour for Health

· Lifts our spirits and energy level

· Replenishes us from compassion fatigue

· A perfect antidote for stress:

▫ stimulates the immune system, offsetting the immunosuppressive effects of stress

▫ helps to avoid burnout

· Can be an empowerment tool

▫ Gives us a different perspective on our problems, and with an attitude of detachment, we feel a sense of self-protection and control in our environment.

▫ “If you can laugh at it, you can survive it.”

– Bill Cosby

· Integrates and balances activity in both hemispheres of the brain, as it involves the whole brain. (Wooten, 1999)

Benefits of Humour in Teaching

· Creates a positive classroom environment

· Reduces anxiety

· Encourages learner involvement

· Holds learners’ attention

· Fosters intrinsic motivation

Benefits of Humour in Teaching (cont.)

· Promotes comprehension and retention

· Fosters cognitive development

· Manages undesirable behavior

· Builds self-confidence

· Enhances quality of learners’ and teachers’ lives

(Powell & Andersen, 1985)

Humour in Teaching

Type of Humour / Uses / Advantages / Cautions / Comments

Cartoons

Jokes, stories
Puns, word games, acronyms
Theatre, video, role play, simulation
Contests, games

Notes

Cartoons, stories, narratives, jokes

Puns, word games, acronyms

Notes

Role play/ theater/ video

Games and contests

Notes

Inappropriate uses of humour

Conclusions

References

Books:

Klein A. The Healing Power of Humour. New York: G.P. Putnam & Sons, 1989.

Goodheart A. Laughter Therapy. Santa Barbara, CA: Less Stress Press, 1994.

Articles:

Civikly JM. Humour and the Enjoyment of College Teaching. Communicating in College Classrooms – New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 26. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1986.

Powell, J.P. and L.W. Andersen, "Humour and Teaching in

Higher Education." Studies in Higher Education, 1985; 10d(l), 79-89.

Teslow JL. Humour Me: A Call for Research. ETR&D, 1995; 43(3): 6-28.

Wooten P. Humour: An antidote for stress. http://www.mother.com/JestHome/ANTI-STRESS.HTML ; 11/19/99/ (note: url is case sensitive)

Ziegler JB. Use of humour in medical teaching. Medical Teacher; 1998; 20(4):341-348.

Web Site References

1. Five helpful web sites re humour are:

www.jwolfe.clara.net

www.agt.net/public/meek/puns.htm

www.mja.com.au/public/issues/171_11_061299/ziegler/ziegler.html

www.anagramfun.com/cgi-bin/anagrams.cgi

http:///publications/

2. Use one of the search engines, e.g., Altavista, Google to search on keywords “humour, humour, jokes, cartoons”

APPENDIX

SOME RESOURCES

Theories

Why do people laugh?

· Incongruity

When two incongruous or unexpected forces come together, e.g., sight gags.

· Mastery

When something is mastered or accomplished, e.g., “getting” a joke or solving a puzzle.

· Psychoanalysis

When releasing feelings of aggression, sexual interest, taboo thoughts, or general uneasiness, e.g., “Playboy” humor.

· Disparagement

When people make fun of their own foibles and frailties, including self-critical comments, e.g., commenting on one’s physical traits.

· Superiority

When people make fun of the misfortune of others and at their own comparative superiority, e.g., sexist & ethnic humor, sick jokes, putdown humor.

· Relief-Release

When a threat or tension is removed, and safety is re-established, e.g., Don Rickles humor, “roasting.”

· Arousal-Suspense-Surprise

When there is a slow building of suspense during the telling of a story or joke, e.g., telling “stories.”

· Ambivalence

When experiencing uncertainty about what to do, say, feel, or choose, e.g., a dilemma presented.

Selected References

1. Teslow, James L. Humor Me: A Call for Research. ETR&D (1995) Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 6-28.

2. Civikly, Jean M. Humor and the Enjoyment of College Teaching. Communicating in College Classrooms – New Directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 26. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1986.

Critical Reasoning

Pickles will kill you! Every pickle you eat brings you nearer to death…Pickles are associated with all major diseases of the body…They can be related to most airline tragedies. There exists a positive relationship between crime waves and consumption of this fruit of the cucurbit family. For example:

· Nearly all sick people have eaten pickles. The effects are obviously cumulative…

· 99.7% of the people involved in air and auto accidents ate pickles within 14 days preceding the accident.

· 93.1% of juvenile delinquents come from homes where pickles are served frequently.

Evidence points to the long-term effects of pickle eating:

· Of the people born in 1869 who later dined on pickles, there has been a 100% mortality.

· All pickle eaters born between 1869 and 1879 have wrinkled skin, have lost most of their teeth, have brittle bones and failing eyesight if the ills of eating pickles have not already caused their deaths.

· Even more convincing is the report of a noted team of medical specialists: Rats force-fed with 2 pounds of pickles per day for 30 days developed bulging abdomens. Their appetites for WHOLESOME FOOD were destroyed.

Statistics

While teaching about means and standard deviations, the teacher projects a slide of a cartoon prepared in advance on a screen. It shows an explorer in Africa, talking to a few native children who watch him somewhat surprised. Behind the explorer, and without his being aware of it, is a huge crocodile with a wide-open mouth, ready to swallow him. He, addressing the kids, says, “There is no need to be afraid of crocodiles; around here their average length is only about 50 centimeters.” One of the children says to another, “This guy had better think about the standard deviation, too.”

Statistics

(Correlation/ Causal Inference)

On a planet whose inhabitants had just discovered earth and who were invisible to earthlings, experts decided to study the behavior of humans. One of them planned to conduct a study on the differences between fat and thin people. He went to a cafeteria and watched and noted the coffee-drinking patterns of those coming in. He noted carefully the behavior of fat and slim people in their coffee-drinking behavior, calculated correlations on this data, and found a positive significant relation. He reported: “There is a positive correlation between coffee drinking and body weight. Fat people mostly drink coffee with ‘Sweet and Low,, thin people mostly with sugar. Conclusion: Sugar makes humans thin, while ‘Sweet and Low’ fattens them.

Psychology (Conditioning)

One morning a man walks to his work and looks up at a building. From a window on the eight floor, a beautiful, charming, splendid, blonde, young woman looks at him. His heart thumping, he decides that this is the most wonderful woman he has seen in his life and he will do anything to have her. He runs into the building, finds that the elevator doesn’t work, and starts running up the stairs. First floor, second, third, …sixth,…seventh. By now, he has difficulty breathing, and his climbing is much slower, Bur, he continues, dreaming about the wonderful lady he’s going to meet. Finally, a bit out of breath, he gets to the eighth floor, He rings. A huge, muscular, angry-looking man opens the door.

“Can I see the blonde lady?” Before he finishes the last word, the huge guy starts hitting him with tremendous blows on his face and body and finally a kick in the back that throws him a few floors down the hard stairs. Getting up with difficulty, our hero limps toward his work.

The next day, passing by the building, he looks up and there she is again, even more beautiful and smiling at him. He decides that whatever happens, he must have her. Into the building, running up the stairs. First, second,…fifth floor. It’s rather difficult, hard to breathe, but he feels love and courage and goes on. Before her door, still breathing hard, he rings. The huge, muscular, angry-looking guy opens the door, takes a look at him, and starts beating him. This time, falling down the stairs of the entire building, his body feeling completely broken, his face badly bruised, he has barely the force to find a taxi and go to the hospital. After some stitches and bandages, he is sent home and ordered to stay in bed for two days.

The third day, he walks by the building, looks up…and there she is, even more wonderful than he remembered – splendid, sweet, and smiling at him. no hesitation. He starts up the stairs (he doesn’t have the strength to run, but he climbs steadily.) First, second…Finally, again out of breath, he is at her door, he rings, and she opens the door. Looking at her in wonder, he says “Where is the big guy?”

(Source unknown)