Humor in the Classroom — Make 'Em Laugh

by Priscilla Richardson

While most people would agree that a sense of humor is vital to a happy life, defining what's funny and why it's funny can be like the search for the Holy Grail. Just ask any stand-up comic whose oh-so-hilarious-on-paper routine falls as flat as a can of pop left out on the counter overnight. He'll tell you that humor can be a slippery concept indeed.

Does it necessarily follow then, that humor should be left to comedians like Leno or Letterman, whose contrived antics sometimes fail to be truly funny? Or is it possible that humor might also be simple, even comfortable? Something that can put on work clothes, roll up its sleeves, and enter the classroom when you do? While things without number — and sometimes without explanation — tend to tickle the human funny bone, the following points look at some ways to provoke humor in the classroom.

Humor comes from the unexpected.

I can remember sitting in a college classroom some years ago on a sleepy fall morning, nursing a cup of coffee and willing the hands on the clock to move quickly, when a fellow student threw open the door, tripped on his way into the room, and then dumped his backpack heavily on a desk, knocking it over in the process. Stifled laughter turned into belly laughs as the embarrassed young man finally plopped into his seat. Yet within moments our professor admitted she had set the situation up to prove how the unexpected can provide comedy. What element of surprise can you bring to an otherwise ordinary lesson plan? What creative twist? What clever ambush to capture your students' attention? Long after the books are closed and the bell has rung, your students will remember it.

Humor comes from juxtaposing two unlike things.

My eighth grade science teacher, Mr. Lorch, used the biblical story of baby Moses being found in the bulrushes to implant the definition of osmosis in our minds. After briefly retelling the story, he said, "And so it was that Moses floated from a high pressure area to a low pressure area, looked up at the princess who found him, and said, 'I's Moses.'" Corny? Absolutely. Scientific? Well, not exactly, but certainly memorable. Or how about appearing in full costume one day to teach class? The unlikely pairing of images — you as the 'teacher, bastion of knowledge' dressed up as the snowy-bearded Walt Whitman or in an animal costume is bound to relieve mid-semester tedium. Connect the costume to the lesson, and voila! You become a walking billboard, a show-and-tell in living 3-D.

Humor creates teachable moments.

Caught up in the delight of humor, and charmed into letting down their defenses, students are primed for the teachable moment that follows in humor's wake. In his book Laughing Lessons, Ron Burgess suggests learning how to juggle by using a beginner's manual from the library, and some props like beanbags or scarves. As you're juggling, talk about how the facts you're teaching — like the parts of a story or important dates in history — need to be juggled in your students' heads.

Humor highlights differences through exaggeration.

Diane Loomans and Karen Kolberg, in their book The Laughing Classroom, adapted an idea by Dr. Edward deBono, using the Six Thinkers exercise to help students understand different perspectives. Creating six hats in different colors, the teacher selects six students to wear them. The Blue Hat is the Controller, who says, We must control... Green is the Creator: Aha! I've got it... Yellow is the Optimist: Let's look on the bright side... White is the Objective Thinker: Let's look at the facts... Red is the Feeler: What I feel is... Gray is the Pessimist: No, no, no... The teacher then supplies a subject to discuss and asks questions, requiring each student to answer according to the hat he or she wears. An entertaining and informative session is sure to follow.

Humor creates an inclusive atmosphere.

Being able to laugh together in the classroom is not only relaxing for your students; it enables them to form connections with each other — and with you. Laughter levels the playing field, strips away the pretense, and says, At heart, we are more alike than different. Humor, and planned creative playfulness, have a way of sneaking behind the facades we all erect and revealing our ordinariness, our shared humanity.

Do you want to forge an unbreakable bond with your students? Dare to be silly. Risk being real. In short, make 'em laugh.