Humor in the Classroom

Professor smiling, students hands raised
Humor is one of my favorite teaching tools. I rely on it—when the room feels tense, when I sense learner drift, if I aspire to make a point more memorable. Humor doesn’t cause learning, but it does help create conditions conducive to it. It doesn’t make hard content easy, but it can make learning it feel easier.

To continue reading, you must be a Teaching Professor Subscriber. Please log in or sign up for full access.

One Response

  1. I teach nursing students and I use humor a lot. The students like that. I also use storytelling a lot. After 32 years of being a nurse, I have loads of stories. This makes the students see me as more approachable. It also builds that trusting relationship that is so important.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles

I have two loves: teaching and learning. Although I love them for different reasons, I’ve been passionate about...
Active learning is a mostly meaningless educational buzzword. It’s a feel-good, intuitively popular term that indicates concern for...
Perhaps the earliest introduction a student has with a course is the syllabus as it’s generally the first...
Generative AI allows instructors to create interactive, self-directed review activities for their courses. The beauty of these activities...
I’ve often felt that a teacher’s life is suspended, Janus-like, between past experiences and future hopes; it’s only...
I teach first-year writing at a small liberal arts college, and on the first day of class, I...
Proponents of rubrics champion them as a means of ensuring consistency in grading, not only between students within...

Get unlimited access to The Teaching Professor

Stay informed. Subscribe Now.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.95 $14.95/month

Billed as $14.95 every month for your first 6 months, then $19.95 thereafter. Cancel or pause anytime.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of The Teaching Professor

You only have  free article views remaining.

WELCOME OFFER

$19.95 $14.95/month

for your first 6 months.

$19.95 a month thereafter. Cancel or pause anytime.

Create a free account, or log in.

Gain access to limited free articles, news alerts, and select newsletters

Login here

Are you signed up for free weekly Teaching Professor updates?

You'll get notified of the newest articles.