Abstract
Lowman (1995) described the relationship between teacher and student and student engagement as the two most important ingredients in learning in higher education. Humour builds teacher-student connection (Berk, 1998) and engages students in the learning process. The bond between student and teacher is essential for learning, satisfaction, and retention. Humour helps students to learn better, remember more, improve problem-solving, absorb and retain information more quickly, and reduce their anxiety about subjects like math and science. Humour also reduces classroom management problems. This essay reviews research findings that support the use of humour in teaching and it provides strategies that teachers can use to bring more humour into their classrooms.
Highlights
As we explore the evolving scholarship of teaching and learning, it remains clear that motivational and interpersonal aspects of students’ experiences are central to effectiveness
The purpose of this essay is to share ideas, perspectives, and benefits related to laughter and humour in learning
Many of our experiences as students and as teachers reinforce what is found in the literature about the advantages of having a classroom sprinkled with laughter and humour
Summary
As we explore the evolving scholarship of teaching and learning, it remains clear that motivational and interpersonal aspects of students’ experiences are central to effectiveness. In his classic text on teaching mastery, Lowman (1995) identified the two most important ingredients of teaching to be teacher-student connection and student engagement. One powerful way both to enhance teacher-student relationships and to increase student engagement in learning experiences is to use humour in the learning environment. Perhaps Henry Kissinger said it best, “University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.” When we learn to use humour in our classes, we may experience the pleasant side effect of building a more humourous perspective to counter our over-developed ability to take ourselves seriously
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