ALL JOKING ASIDE:

Five Reasons to Use

Humor in the Ciassroom
BY IVIiCHAEL E. SKiNNER

It was our first examination as funny about the rigors of learning.

college freshman, a history exam,
all essay. It was very scary. Seem-
ing to sense our trepidation, the
professor tookfiveminutes before
the exam to read short vignettes
consisting of humorous accounts
of the historical characters and
events that we had so seriously
studied in preparation for the
exam. The stories evoked laughter
even from the most stoic of stu-
dents. Students were noticeably
more relaxed after this brief inter-
lude and, although I can't prove
it, most likely performed better
on the exam.
As effective as this "pre-exam"
experience may have been, how-
ever, humor has not always been
looked on with favor in academia.
For centuries, the "ideal" professor
was a paragon of serious academic
pursuit with no time for frivolous
commentary. There was nothing
The professor described above
would likely have been rebuked by
many of his colleagues.
Although sometimes criticized
for being too anecdotal, a growing
body of literature is emerging that
documents the potential posi-
tive effects of the systematic and
spontaneous use of humor in the
college classroom.
Based on existing professional
literature, combined with personal
experience, I describe five impor-
tant reasons for integrating humor
into the classroom.
1. Students iearn and retain
more when humor is used. Several
authors, for example, have found
that students exposed to lectures
delivered by professors who inte-
grated humor outperformed their
peers who were taught the same
material without humor. Humor
appears to be most effective in

Michael E. Siiinner (skinnerm@cofc.edu) is a professor. Department of

Teacher Education, School of Education, Health, and Human Performance,
College of Charleston, SC. Robert E. Fowler, also a professorat the College of
Charleston, contributed to the article.

Ootober 2010 19
 THE EDUCATION DIGEST
terms of enhancing achievement
when it relates directly to course-
specific content.
2. Humor creates, a positive
environment for learning. Humor
can be used to produce a healthy
classroom climate for learning in
all subject areas, even those-
deemed "difficult" by students.
Classrooms with healthy climates
are settings in which students
feel valued, emotionally safe, and
free to actively participate and
experiment. They are also classes
in which student learning is maxi-
mized.
In the film Dead Poet's Society,
Mr, Keating (played by Robin Wil-
liams) often used humor to in-
spire his students to participate.
One notable moment was when a
student answered a query about
a certain poet incorrectly. The
instructor made the sound of a
buzzer giving the impression that
the student was on a game show,
followed with the line, "Incorrect,
but thank you for trying!" This cre-
ated immediate laughter from all
the other students. The students
were discovering that participating
and learning, at least in this class,
were exciting, fun, and safe.
Although limited, some evi-
dence exits for the positive ef-
fects of humor on emotions ex-
perienced by students in college
classrooms,
A quick online search will pro-
duce several sources that provide
an extensive discussion of the pos-
20 www.eddigest.com
itive effects of classroom humor,
including stress reduction, lower
anxiety, and increased enthusiasm
toward the learning experience,
3. Humor maintains students'
attention. One of the most chal-
lenging classes I teach is an edu-
cational assessment course; not
only because of the rigors of the
curriculum, but also because it
is typically offered at 1 P,M. Most
of my students, all seniors, have
had a full morning, frequently
participating in internships in the
schools. They grab a quick lunch
and sit down in a frequently too-
warm classroom, 1 then bring up
topics such as "standard error
of measurement" or "equivalent
forms test reliability," With the ex-
ception of the most disciplined stu-
dents, attention wanes rapidly.
Research supports my observa-
tions, even when instruction takes
place during more optimal time
periods. Research indicates that
students retain approximately 70%
of material presented during the
first 10 minutes of a lecture class,
dropping to 20% during the last 10
minutes. However, most professors
continue to use the traditional
lecture as their primary format for
teaching. Assuming that professors
will continue to lecture, humor can
be one means by which students'
attention can be maintained,
I facilitate students' attention
by structuring my classes around
a model I call the "interactive lec-
ture," Assuming that 10 minutes is
 Five Reasons to Use Humor in the Classroom

about the half-life of student atten- source for statistical exercises

tion during a typical class session, with a touch of humor is Pyrczak's
I interject a novel activity or bit of (1999) Statistics with a Sense of
information every 10 to 15 min- Humor.)
utes. These typically run three to 5. The positive effects of hu-
five minutes and recapture student mor are likely to be reflected on
attention. Although I use a variety course evaluations. Assuming that
of activities, I find that humor is humor contributes to a healthy
among the most effective. This can learning environment, it is logical
range from the simple insertion of to conclude that it has a positive
a relevant cartoon in a PowerPoint impact on course evaluations.
presentation to a 10-minute class Existing research indicates that
exercise with humor as an integral students in classes that integrate
part. humor rate their instructor signifi-
4. Humor can be especially cantly higher than students who
effective when teaching difficult participate in classes with no little
subject matter. Students look or no humor.
forward to taking some courses Many students who take my
with anticipation often associated "dreaded" courses highlight the
with a root canal. Humor can play a humor used in the course in
major role in facilitating and main- their final course evaluation com-
taining interest in such courses by ments. Examples of comments .
reducing anxiety. include:
Another "dreaded" course that "I was afraid of taking this class.
I teach is educational research. A However, it was organized and I felt
requirement for virtually all edu- comfortable asking questions. The
cators seeking a master's degree, cartoons were great."
the course includes topics such "This was a hard class. The
as "stratified random sampling," study objectives and practice quiz-
"coefficient of determination," zes on the Web were a big help. Dr.
"analysis of variance," and a touch Skinner has a good sense of humor.
of "inferential statistics." Ifindthat, This helped."
humor lessens preconceived nega- "I felt comfortable asking ques-
tive attitudes toward the course tions about difficult material in
and facilitates willingness to en- class. The funny stories and car-
gage in challenging material. When toons made the hard stuff easier
teaching statistics, for example, I to handle."
have students complete practice Far from being a detriment, the
exercises that, if answered cor- judicious and appropriate use of
rectly, provide the response to a humor facilitates the teaching-
huriiorous riddle. (An excellent learning process.

October 2010 21
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