Humor in the Classroom

1. Humor in the Classroom Ben Urick

2. My humor role models-Life

3. My humor role models-Teaching

5. Distance Between the Planets • Bill Nye

6. Distance Between the Planets • How many times farther from the sun is Pluto compared to Earth? • 40

7. Why Use Humor in the Classroom?

8. Why Use Humor in the Classroom? • Psychological benefits: • Reduce anxiety • Decrease stress • Enhance self-esteem • Increase self-motivation • Create positive emotional and social environment • Improve student-instructor relationship

9. Why Use Humor in the Classroom? • Physiological benefits: • Improved respiration, circulation • Lower pulse, blood pressure • Release endorphins

10. Why Use Humor in the Classroom? • Improves student engagement, ratings • Improves attendance • Students with funny teachers learn more http://xkcd.com/552/ Source: Garner RL. Humor in Pedagogy: How Ha-Ha Can Lead to AHA!. College Teaching. 54(1):2006 p177-180.

11. Grammar

12. Comma Definitions • Merriam-Webster definition of a comma: • A punctuation mark, used especially as a mark of separation within the sentence • Pause, interval • Any of several nymphalid butterflies (genus Polygonia) with a silvery comma-shaped mark on the underside of the hind wings

13. Commas are used… • To separate items in a list • Along with a conjunction to connect two independent clauses • When providing definition to a previous subject/noun • Too often • Not enough? • For many reasons

14. A panda walks into a bar, sits down and orders a sandwich. He eats the sandwich, pulls out a gun and shoots the waiter dead. • As the panda stands up to go, the bartender shouts, "Hey! Where are you going? You just shot my waiter and you didn't pay for your sandwich!" • The panda yells back at the bartender, "Hey, I'm a PANDA! Look it up!" The bartender opens his dictionary and sees the following definition for panda: • "A tree dwelling marsupial of Asian origin, characterized by distinct black and white coloring. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

15. A panda walks into a bar, sits down and orders a sandwich. He eats the sandwich, pulls out a gun and shoots the waiter dead. • As the panda stands up to go, the bartender shouts, "Hey! Where are you going? You just shot my waiter and you didn't pay for your sandwich!" • The panda yells back at the bartender, "Hey, I'm a PANDA! Look it up!" The bartender opens his dictionary and sees the following definition for panda: • "A tree dwelling marsupial of Asian origin, characterized by distinct black and white coloring. Eats shoots and leaves.

17. Pharmacy

18. Pharmacy Jokes Resident: I’ll perform the digitalis exam on Mr. Jones in room 3 Attending: Better use the foxglove! Digital vs. digitalis Foxglove is the another term for digitalis

19. Direct to Consumer Advertising • Is it LowT? • Havidol!

20. When and How to Use Humor

21. Why is Humor Difficult to Use? • Personal • Subjective • Contextual • Unpredictable

22. Effective Use of Humor • Specific • Targeted • Appropriate to the subject matter • Humor in pedagogy vs. joke telling in the classroom

23. What about Untargeted, General Humor?

24. Planned vs. Unplanned Humor

25. Planned • Anticipatory set • Woven into case scenarios, examples • Doesn’t require comedic timing

26. Unplanned • Impromptu stories • Responses to students • Keep humorous responses “loaded in the chamber”

27. When have you felt humor in a classroom setting added to the content or environment?

28. When have you felt humor in a classroom setting detracted from the content or environment?

29. When is it Not Appropriate to Use Humor?

30. What is the Distance from Pluto to the Sun?

31. Resources • Resource websites: • Use of Humor in the Classroom (Book Chapter): https://www.uab.edu/Communicationstudies/richmond_files/Richmond%20Humor%20in%20Classroom.pdf • Humor in Pedagogy: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/detail?accno=EJ744358 • Best Teaching Practices: Humor in the Classroom: http://www.plattsburgh.edu/offices/centers/cte/humorintheclassroom.php