Humor
I teach a somewhat dry subject matter so my students tend to get bored quickly. Adding humorous stories from the field keeps them attentive and asking questions. I do NOT use vulgar or clownish stories but real life anecdotes from customers I have known.
I agree, those type of stories always spark good discussions in the classroom. I also believe that telling a few stories about your personal experiences lets the students know that even though we are instructors, we are also human, with real human experiences that they can also possibly relate to.
Hi Guy,
I want to support your statement about the stories and examples you share with your students. They need to reflect a professional standard and not be of questionable content. This is a part of the modeling as a professional that is critical.
Gary
Students look at teacher sometimes as above the fray. Almost as all knowing. I like to use humor because they see me as a human being just like them and that allows them to be more relaxed and learn!
Cheryl
Hi Guy, Reflection of a professional standard to the students in imperative. It gives the student a "target",example to aim for and also helps students understand the boundaries.
Cheryl
Guy, My subject is actually not dry but sometimes very sad. Keeping the spirits high in the classroom or clinic is essential to feeding their souls and mine.
Cheryl
letting student hear some of our experiences from the field are great as long as we are careful not to lose track of the subject of the day
I also think that using humor helps break tension in the classroom.The students that come in to a new class are often nervous and shy to thier new surroundings and breaking the ice with humor sometimes puts them at ease
I find the students want storeis from the field, I pick some of the funny ones to keep them interseted
I agree totally. Currently I am taching F&B Cost Controls, and by adding humorous stories from my professional career it helps in keeping the class engaged in what may be considered boring material.
On the first day of each new class I spend time discussing class flow, class rules, expectations that I have of them. Then I ask and write their responses on the board. This is probably the most informative exercises I have attempted so far. Two of the most common responses that I have received is tell stories and keep it fun. Many of the students that I get do not understand the over all value of the subject matter and therefore need help relating to it with the occasional funny analogy or story from the field. I think Humor can be an awesome tool.
Good humor is essential especially when dealing with topics such as this.
I beleive that any subject could be boring if you don't try to bring a little levity to the lecture. I find that by doing this I am more likely to get student involvement and enthusiasm.
I don't mind being the butt of the joke as long as the message gets accross. Humor I find does that and seems to be a universal language that everyone understands.
More than just understanding, Humor, I have found, puts the mind in a place that is most accessible and open. The students really seem to not only understand the information better, but, retain the information longer. This higher learning can only be accomplished by a happy open mind and thats what humor does best. I believe in the idea of learning types and I have found that no matter the learning type.. a good mood is what keeps the sponge absorbent.
Humor is as necessary as breathing. Any material you teach can be painfully dry and unexciting. Humor lightens the subject load and gets the students brain functioning once more so you can continue giving them the required information.
Hey, Mark I have always thought that learning is much more enjoyable and easy when your having fun. Your explaination of how and why it works is exactly what I have been trying to say. Thank you for putting it so well.
I ensure that I am the butt of most of the jokes. The subjects that I teach can be terribly difficult and I have found that if I use situations that I have been in where I made a mistake (albeit not life threatening) I point out my mistakes and generally how silly I was in the situation. I ensure that my students know that it is alright to make a mistake as long as you learn from it and make every attempt not to make the mistake again.
HI B Birdsong,
Samples from your past are really appreciated by students plus it shows that you are human. This is a very good learning tool for students as they themselves will be in such situations before very long.
Gary
