Because she had bad pupils.I came across a really refreshing book the other day that made me breathe a sigh of relief when I was feeling overwhelmed with the tasks of having to learn so many standards, best practices, lesson plan design and all of the other necessary, yet never-ending aspects of becoming a teacher.
I remember when I was a kid and how much fun I thought it would be to have authority over a classroom full of students – to be in charge of minds and subject matter. After years of studying to become a teacher, I have learned that structured tests, standards and administrators’ expectations of me are sometimes the ones with the authority and in charge.
Where is the fun in that?
The book is called The Laughing Classroom: Everyone’s Guide to Teaching with Humor and Play. As I went through the text, I was amazed by the success stories and could not help but wish that my schoolteachers had been like the ones described.
The book is broken up into several parts ranging in topics from how to become a laughing teacher and create a laughing classroom to ways to heal with laughter and how to use laughter forever.
The book cites several educational advantages to having a laughing classroom, stating that laughter and play will:
· Maintain a high attention level,
· Relieve physical and mental stress,
· Build rapport,
· Increase retention,
· Enhance self-esteem,
· Promote divergent thinking,
· Bring new insights,
· Allow for pleasurable learning, and
· Increase a feeling of hope (p. 33).
Who doesn’t want these things going on their classrooms? I know I do. I recommend that everyone finds a way to incorporate laughter in the classroom because our jobs require too much work not to enjoy ourselves too.
Check out these articles to find out more information about how to incorporate laughter in the classroom:
Learning about and through humor in the second language classroom
An experiment relating humor to student attainment in mathematics
Techniques for using humor and fun in the language arts classroom
Another joke from the book:
Q: What happens when you stifle laughter?
A: It moves down your body and starts to expand your hips.
:)
I too have felt a little overwhelmed by all of the standards, planning, and everything else that goes into becoming a teacher. Lately it has seemed like there is not a lot of room left for humor, which is disappointing because my favorite teachers were always the ones that made me laugh. They were also the ones who effectively used humor to reinforce learning. However, I did not realize how many studies had been done on how humor affects students, and that students themselves can recognize the difference it can make. It is strange to think that some people still think humor does not belong in classrooms when there is evidence that it helps students in many different ways.
ReplyDeleteWhen looking back on my experiences as an elementary school student all the way through being a college student, it is nearly impossible to not agree that classrooms that embrace laughter and the joys of learning and teaching are the ones that are not only the most memorable, but the most effective. Being able to create a classroom where there is a healthy balance between learning and fun is a challenging task, but it seems that books like the one you're talking about can only make it easier. I agree that in a time of standards and high accountability, hearing this message that teaching and learning can truly still be an enjoyable experience is beyond refreshing. Hopefully if more teachers begin to approach their teaching styles with this optimism more students can have more memorable experiences like the ones we can all remember.
ReplyDeleteHunter,
ReplyDeleteYou’re right, who wouldn’t want all of those benefits in the classroom?! I never think about humor being a factor in classroom participation/enjoyment but when I look back at my education history, much like Paula, those are the classes that I remember the most, which in result, I am able to remember information that I learned in that class very well.
I took a look at one of the links that you provided that dealt with humor and student attainment in math. As a future math teacher, I am constantly looking for new and creative ways to not only present information to students but also to create a classroom environment that is conducive for learning. An interesting idea that I read in the article was the concept of “collaborative filtering.” This identified groups of people with similar tastes in humor and was able categorize/group them without the students realizing the grouping because they were having fun.
Often times I am told that I can be too serious or emotional, so the pressures of standards and expectations may possibly weigh me down in my first few years of teaching. I think that this book could be a positive purchase for me as well as my future students!