The art of bringing humour into the classroom

Humour can be broadly defined as the ability to make others laugh and the trait of being humorous or funny. However, humour can specifically refer to a teacher’s focused and structured use of amusing words or actions, or their reactions while they are teaching, engaging and interacting with students, managing a classroom or setting the tone for a timely, appropriate and funny response to content or activities.

Allowing students to spot irony or hyperbole in a historical account or primary document is one example of a teacher using humour in a structured way to relate to content. Another is having students use humour to explain literary concepts to their peers to show they understand them.

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For the teacher, the use of lighthearted or self-effacing comments can allow educators to show themselves as more approachable when interacting or engaging with students. A teacher can use humour to regulate the classroom by suggesting outrageous hypothetical circumstances or punishments for breaking the rules. Humour has also been recognised as a way for teachers to manage their own stress.

For this article, impromptu jokes, sarcasm and banter among students or with the teacher are excluded.

Students’ attention, motivation and learning might improve when teachers use humour as a teaching method or for interaction or classroom management. Humour can create a more welcoming and interesting learning atmosphere in the classroom and so support students’ academic performance or behaviour.

Humour can be a subjective, nuanced characteristic, as Ann Bainbridge Frymier, Melissa Bekelja Wanzer and Ann M. Wojtaszczyk have observed. But age-appropriate, structured humorous teaching and interaction tactics can help students develop higher-order thinking skills, creativity and a more thorough understanding of the subject matter.

Researcher Itamar Shatz suggests adding humorous comics, mnemonics or anecdotes to lessons to underline key ideas or issues.

Not everyone sees the funny side

Some teachers encounter resistance to the use of humour in the classroom; this might include pressure from school administrators to avoid it or fears that laughter will result in the teacher losing control of pupils. Social conventions and cultural complexity might also influence instructors’ reluctance to use humour in classroom settings.

In a 2018 article for the American Psychological Association, Drew C. Appleby writes that faculty, too, can underestimate the value of humour in the classroom because “they may be unaware of the positive thoughts, emotions and behaviours these qualities can elicit from their students”. He also notes that humour can fall flat when jokes don’t land, the humour doesn’t match students’ understanding of the topic, it targets a specific student or is outdated or offensive.

However, when teachers model and use humour in appropriate ways, students are more likely to see their lessons, content and behaviour as relevant, engaging and dynamic. These teachers also encourage students to have good attitudes towards school, coursework and one another. According to studies, humour improves learning possibilities for students and the learning environment by boosting student motivation, creating a comfortable and relaxed learning atmosphere and improving cognitive brain function.

Humour can have measurable positive effects on physical health. When used properly, laughter in a classroom promotes a higher level of comfort and creates a more welcoming but intellectually challenging learning atmosphere. Teachers have also discussed the benefits and achievements of employing humour in a particular field or topic, such as mathematics, to engage students.

Make them laugh, help them learn

Humour can be a useful tool for classroom management. It can be used to get students’ attention or even encourage them to show up to class. Humour can be used effectively and efficiently to break tension or enliven dry subject matter, sometimes more than other standard classroom management techniques.

By reducing stress and fostering a positive learning atmosphere, humour in the classroom has been shown to help students be more receptive to dialogue. Students who feel pleased, at ease and open in the classroom are key to a healthy learning environment; this is made possible by their awareness that it is acceptable to laugh and see humour in situations.

Humour must be carefully managed, though, as students can lack the social awareness to recognise inappropriate behaviour. Teachers, in particular, need to be able to “rein in” students when it is time to get serious and focus. Humour should be used sparingly and only when the teacher considers it suitable.

The use of appropriate humour in the classroom can improve student enthusiasm and engagement. Additionally, humour increases students’ willingness to take risks in the classroom, encouraging them to speak up more readily, participate in discussions and participate in enquiry- or exploration-based classes