Looking back on the courses I’ve taken throughout my University career, I started to notice an interesting trend. The courses in which I finished with a grade of A or higher all had one of two things in common: I was either very interested in the class material, or the instructor was incredibly funny. I would say it is rational to infer that if a student is interested in the topics and/or subject they are learning about, they are going to be more engaged in the course than one who has no interest; they will be more motivated to do the readings, research on their own etc., generally resulting in a better grade. But what about courses (statistics for me) that are considered dry or boring? Can having a humorous instructor help you achieve a better grade despite the lack of natural interest or engaging material?
According to professor Ron Berk, PhD and author of “Humor as an Instructional Defibrillator: Evidence-Based Techniques in Teaching and Assessment” (Stylus Publishing, 2003), yes it can. Berk’s teaching theory is to use humor to enhance otherwise dull material, which subsequently forces students to pay attention and think in more diverse ways in order to understand the material on their own terms. The key is, in order to remain beneficial and not distracting, the humor has to be relevant to the topics being discussed. Another study (College Teaching, Vo. 54, No. 1, pg. 177-180) completed by Sam Houston State University Psychologist Randy Garner, PhD, found that students were more likely to recall lectures from a statistics class if jokes relevant to the topics were interposed throughout the discussion.
I question, though, if the use of humor actually engages you in material you otherwise might not find interesting, or if it instead it relaxes you/eases anxiety enough to the point where you are in an optimal state of mind to retain information. There has been much research on the physiological effects of stress on memory and learning capacity. For example, a study by University of California appearing in the March 12 edition of the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that short-term stress lasting as little as a couple hours can impair brain-cell communication in areas of the brain responsible for learning and memory cognition. Furthermore, in his book “Humor as an Instructional Defibrillator”, Berk himself asserts that laughter has been shown to decreases stress hormones such as serum cortisol and epinephrine.
This may very well be a case of the chicken or the egg, whether having reduced stress and anxiety induced by humor relaxes you to a point where you are able to focus and engage; or if being engaged in an interesting topic itself naturally removes the fear, stress and anxiety students often feel surrounding complex and/or boring material. Regardless of the order, I can most definitely see the benefit of humor in the classroom for both students and teachers – students can retain information in ways that fit their terms thereby increasing their learning capacity and resulting in better grades; and instructors, if executed appropriately, can subsequently increase their ratings and interest given by students. So perhaps when both learning and teaching, we should seek to “tickle the mind”.
mgdrummo 
I agree with your points on laughter and the effects humor has on decreased stress, and thus better learning. I would like to point out, however, that laughter and humor is not always cross-culturally similar. In certain cultures humor is not as accepted, and not associated with reduced stress.
In the book, Implementing cross-culture pedagogies: cooperative learning at Confucian heritage cultures, written by Thi Hong Thanh Pham (2014), the topic of Western versus Eastern educational successes are explored. The Confucian heritage culture had previously thought that taking what has become successful in Western societies in education, would work the same in the East. This is not true. Therefore, while it is true that laughter and humor may be a valid aspect in assisting learning in our culture, this strategy may not cross-over to countries such as say, Japan, etc.
• Pham, T. H. T. (2014). Implementing cross-culture pedagogies: Cooperative learning at confucian heritage cultures. Singapore: Springer Verlag.
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Very good point to make, Tori. I often forget that what might be viewed as successful in western culture may very well not be the same case in culturally differing societies. This has got me thinking about how differently West and East approach education and learning – something I would really like to explore further, so thank you! Speaking to perceptions of humor in the classroom in particular, however, I did find a book which discusses culture shocks Asian students experience in Western Academia; one of which highlights the differences in value and use of humor. As propriety is highly valued among relations in Asian cultures, using or positively perceiving humor in Academia might not seem natural to some and therefore, seem out of place. You are right, having an unnatural interaction like that would most likely not help to ease anxiety or reduce stress. In fact, it might increase it. Interesting to think about, anyways!
References:
Yook, E. L. (2013). Culture shock for Asians in U.S. academia: Breaking the model minority myth. Plymouth, U.K.: Lexington Books.
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This is a great topic! It makes lots of sense to use humor as a mechanism of learning to ease stress. I have found more evidence that shows how humor in a class room can motivate and increase active learning with the material. This of course would result in a higher class average and better success of the students. But my question is, can you cross the line? can too much humor be detrimental to learning? I don’t mean to say that humor is used as a distraction, because of course distractions are not helpful to learning. but can humor being used as a tool for learning, be used in excess?
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I most definitely think that there is a line that can be crossed when using humor in the classroom, Alex and thanks for pointing that out! While humor in the classroom serves a variety of positive roles, such as, group cohesion, positive responsiveness, and reduced stress, I think it’s very important to note that humor can have negative impacts as well. When used as a means of control; for example, if an instructor were to make fun of students ignorance or beliefs; or when it causes disagreement, this breaks down group cohesion and positive responsiveness. It is also important to remember that there are different kinds of humor, some of which are always appropriate and some of which are never appropriate in an educational setting. There have also been studies that show overuse of humor can damage learning progress and positive responsiveness. While humor has been shown to have benefits in the classroom, it’s not the only effective teaching tool as humor should fit comfortably with instructors teaching styles and personalities. If an instructor comes off as being uncomfortable with their teaching style that can lead to a disconnect between students and the material/instructor.
References:
Weimer, M. (2013, February 1st). Humour in the classroom: 40 years of research. Retrieved from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/humor-in-the-classroom-40-years-of-research/
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