Reading the ways teachers can use humor is worth reading and learning to ignite fun in the classroom. As you know, people who are having fun and feeling good are less likely to disrupt lessons, so for this reason alone, humor and fun should be integral to your teaching.
Humor does not only make people have fun and feel good. It has other significant effects on students’ learning. Humor plays a vital role in preparing students more receptive to learning. It reduces stress and makes them more relaxed.
It can be straightforward to forget this when there is so much pressure to meet deadlines and targets, but students learn best when enjoying the activities and finding the information useful. Make learning interesting and interactive whenever possible.
Below I’ve included five tips on how to implement humor into your lessons successfully.
1. Lighten Up and Learn to Laugh at Yourself
Mistakes and accidents are bound to happen from time-to-time during lessons, and, sometimes, they can be hilarious. If you have a mess-up during your lesson that your students find hilarious, you can regain control of your class by raising your voice or choosing to take part in the laughter for a few minutes. It’s not good to take yourself too seriously; sometimes, it’s good to lighten up.
2. Jokes
By sprinkling in a few well-rehearsed stories or one-liners, you can add a bit of fun to some otherwise dull lectures.
3. Let the Kids Provide the Humor
Utilize your class clown by giving them an appropriate outlet to use their humor as an excellent speaking and listening activity. If a child has a tremendous sense of humor, which is, of course, appropriate, it should be encouraged. You want to do this without losing control of your class without creating a disorderly atmosphere.
4. Use Humor the Students Enjoy and Understand
It is almost a guarantee that your sense of humor will differ from your students’ sense of humor. To make your students laugh, you need to be on the key with what sorts of things make them laugh. Watch the TV programs that your students’ find funny to figure out what type of humor they react to enjoy. Take time to learn about your students’ interests and the kinds of things they like to read or watch on TV. Knowing your students’ type of humor will make it much easier to make them laugh.
5. Have Occasional Dedicated Comedy Sessions
Once in a while, it can be an excellent idea to put together a lesson based solely on having fun. Such lessons are valuable for building bonds, encouraging cooperation between group members, and doing your reputation no end of good.
Only you can decide to implement humor in your classroom; a lesson learned with laughter is memorable. Looking at ways to make your lessons more fun or humorous will benefit your whole class.
For more instructional tips, check out this resource.
