Humor in the Classroom

"During the last years more and more teachers move away from the traditional pedagogic perception according to which humor does not fit the serious work of teaching. This development is connected i.a. with the realization and empirical verifi-cation of the positive effects of humor from the Education Science and other scientific disciplines (Medicine, Psychology etc.). Despite this, research shows that some teach-ers avoid humorous situations in the classroom, because a) they are afraid that they may lose control of the students, b) they do not believe in humor’s positive effects and c) they construe teaching as a very serious affair. There is also evidence that teachers use humor in their classroom in order to attract the attention and the interest of students, to decrease the stress of teaching, to improve the social climate and their rela-tion with the students, to promote learning, but also to feel themselves comfortably and relaxed.
The studies on humor in the classroom have increased by far in recent years. This shows the importance of humor  in teaching but also contributes in the clarifica-tion of teachers’ perceptions and  practices about humor and the terms and conditions for humor’s presence in the classroom. In this frame we investigated the perceptions of 771 teachers of elementary school in Greece concerning humor in their teaching. More concretely we examined the perceptions of teachers concerning the advantages of humor but also the likely dangers that may come from it, the frequency and the forms of humor that they use in their teaching and finally their more general apprecia-tion for the importance of humor in their school life and in their life in general. The first analyses show that teachers are very positive towards humor, they rate it very highly relative to other elements of teaching, recognize the same positive effects that research has highlighted, but they also recognize some negative aspects (aggressive/hostile humor: irony, sarcasm).
"

Хуморот е значаен елемент во нашето секојдневно општење. Тој е моќно
комуникациско средство со кое се служиме за постигнување одредени цели. Во зависност од тоа
со каква цел и како се употребува, хуморот може да има и позитивни и негативни ефекти.
Позитивни ефекти се: поттикнување смеа и благопријатни емоции, создавање позитивна и
опуштена атмосфера, намалување на стресот и на анксиозноста, спречување и решавање на
конфликтите, влевање доверба, зацврстување на односите меѓу соговорниците итн. Од тој аспект,
хуморот може да биде корисна алатка и во наставата. Во овој труд ќе говориме за улогата,
примената и за застапеноста на хуморот во наставата по странски јазик. Ќе се осврнеме на
придобивките (но и на недостатоците и на опасностите) од примената на хумор во наставата по
странски јазик, на видовите хумор, на начинот на користење хумор во наставата итн. Покрај
општиот преглед на функцијата на хуморот во наставата по странски јазик, ќе споделиме и лично
искуство и свои ставови во однос на неговата примена во наставата по македонски јазик како
странски. Во контекст на тоа, ќе направиме краток осврт кон учебниците по македонски јазик како
странски (Македонски без со мака, Добре дојдовте на македонски, Зборувате ли македонски,
Божилак, Тешкото, Лозје, Златоврв, Македонски јазик како странски, Macedonian: A Course for
Beginning and Intermediate Students), а ќе бидат разгледани и учебници по македонски јазик за
учениците од другите заедници (македонски како втор јазик).
Клучни зборови: хумор, настава, македонски јазик како втор/странски јазик, учебници,
активности.

http://imj.ukim.edu.mk/CMS/Upload/1.%20%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BE%D1%82%20%D1%98%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%BA%20%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%83%D1%87%D0%BD%D0%B8%20%D0%B8%D1%81%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B6%D1%83%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%9A%D0%B0%20(%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%20%D0%B8%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80)%202020.pdf

Humor Styles Vs. Burnout Rates
A Research Design
A paper presented at the 7th International Society for Humor Studies




A
Nashville, Tennessee 37203






University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia
July 1996 Humor Styles Vs. Burnout Rates
University of New South Wales
Sydney, Australia July 1996 Humor Styles Vs. Burnout Rates

Introduction

For years we have been interacting with others by using humor. We do not mean by telling stories or ethnic jokes; what we do mean is to play off of the moment and the circumstance. We have used this intuitive style in grocery stores at checkout counters, in banks with tellers, in airports with ticket agents, in graduate classes, in management seminars, in management groups, and in board rooms. Almost, without exception, people like to laugh.
In these situations from the ticket counter to the board room, we have left feeling either satisfied as a customer, or pleased with the joint decision of a board. Our counterparts with whom we have interacted also have seemed to be pleased and, in most cases, smiles were on their faces. What is this thing called humor and how can it help us move organizations into the 21st Century?
We have seen intuitive humor operate effectively in most cases, here in the United States, and in international situations. Recently, while in a meeting with one of the sheiks from the United Arab Emirates, there was a pause in our discussions and the Arabic people all began to laugh. We thought we had done something wrong, but my Arabic friends said oh no, it is just a bit of local humor. Likewise, we have used intuitive humor in Luxembourg, Paris, and Frankfurt recently very successfully. People of all cultures like to laugh.