Knock, knock.

Who's there?

More.

More who?

You've got it backwards—who more. As in, "Humor in the Classroom," which just so happens to be our topic today…

If you're still with us, you've learned the first lesson of humor in the classroom: don't force it.

You don't need to make your lecture about the Revolutionary War a standup routine. But a dose of levity can make students feel more at ease, more engaged, and even—dare we say it?—more likely to retain the information you're giving them.

Don't believe us? Communications prof Melissa Wanzer's research article "Use of Humor in the Classroom" discusses the link between humor, holding students' attention, and memory. And if that's not enough, Plattsburgh University's page on humor in the classroom says that a dose of laughter "can go a long way in decreasing anxiety, lowering defenses, fostering a positive student-instructor relationship, defusing tensions, provoking imagination, triggering interest and motivation to learn, and opening the mind" (source).

Oh, and have you heard about a little humorous education website called Shmoop and the results it's shown in the classroom?

Yeah.

Why Did the Shmooper Cross the Road?

Hard to say. Hopefully to get farther away from that knock-knock joke earlier.

Here are some tips for using humor in your class:

1. Know your audience. It's just like standup, folks. If you teach high school, a clever pun is probably going to go a ways farther than a game of peek-a-boo, while your second-graders will be a lot more entertained by a picture of a dog holding a pen than by "the comma sutra." So whether it's being aware of the age level, picking up on an inside joke and keeping it going throughout the year, or finding other things that make your students tick—you know, find out what it is, and make those kids tick.
    
2. Get a little racy. See what we did with that "comma sutra" thing? Sure, keep it to high school, and make sure it's a month or two in so you're not saying anything that could seem offensive (or creepy). But spicing up things like grammar and math with a pun or two can keep students engaged, and remember what we said about how that relates to memory? (If you don't, that just means we didn't make it funny enough.) Anyway, nothing too out there, but a PG giggle with a hint of PG-13 can be a good way to perk up a few ears. After all, grammar is the difference between knowing your Shmoop and knowing you're Shmoop.
    
3. Throw in a nerdy joke from time to time. And no, that doesn't mean it has to be racy. This article from the National Education Association mentions an English teacher who used everything from cake writing to street signs (with Pinterest in between) to show her students the humor in incorrect grammar. There's no better way to learn about dangling modifiers than the immortal words of Groucho Marx: "This morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas I have no idea."
    
   And that doesn't just go for grammar. Here goes: "What types of snakes are good at sums?" "Adders." So you've got bad math jokes, and even worse math jokes (yes, the adder one came from the worse site), and you can find similar lists in many other subjects.
    
4. Use humor to connect with your students. Humor isn't just spitting out jokes about adders. (Okay, maybe it isn't spitting out jokes about adders period.) Incorporating a dorky joke along with a lesson can great, but finding humor along with the people in the classroom is an even greater way to build community. That means laughing along with your students…even if that means a break from the lesson.
    
5. Learn how to make fun of yourself. No, don't reveal your insecurities or talk about all your mistakes. (Duh, we hope?) But being able to laugh about something you did that was silly or even wrong (writing too big on the board is a nice, innocuous example) can both give your students a giggle and make you look more human. You still maintain your authority, but with a healthy dose of self-deprecation from time to time, you make your students more comfortable, too.
    
6. Throw some inside jokes or student quirks into homework and assignments. Politely, of course. But think about it: seeing a math problem that involves the number of gummy bears in Lily's Star Wars backpack can spark a giggle, and therefore, a bit more attention to that particular feat of mathematic achievement.
    
7. Have your students experiment with humor. Have an extra credit assignment of coming up with a joke or cartoon related to the subject you're covering. Or hand out a cartoon or picture without captions and assign your students to come up with funny lines to go along with them (this idea courtesy of this Edutopia article). After all, if your students practice their own humor and creativity, they'll be able to appreciate others' even more.
    
8. Read with a funny voice. This isn't everyone's cup of tea. But especially in younger classrooms, changing your voice to represent different characters, or showing a lot of emotion or exaggeration in the way you read certain sections, can really animate a crowd (thanks to this NEA article for the tip). And in an older class? Assign an article from The Onion to spark debate about a topic, or read a short story by David Sedaris—either as an at-home assignment, or aloud in class. That's right, reading aloud has perks all the way through high school.
    
9. Don't beat yourself up if you don't get a laugh. Hey, you can't win 'em all. Whether you were trying out a new pun or your surefire knee-slapper just went over their heads, don't give yourself too many gray hairs. Even the comedy greats fall flat from time to time, but that doesn't mean they stop trying. And we'd make a joke about that, but you probably wouldn't laugh.
    
10. There are some times when humor is not the answer.
    For example:
    
    • That horrible knock-knock joke at the beginning.
    • (But seriously now) If there's pain involved—either physical or emotional. Sure, slipping on a banana peel works great for The Three Stooges, but be careful with your pain-related humor in the classroom. Basically, anything that makes violence or injury look cool is a no-no.
    • When you're talking about a war, or a really sensitive scene in a book, or any situation where any person with emotions could see a joke as insensitive at that particular moment. That means you, Romeo and Juliet.
    • When it isn't age-appropriate. Like our racy idea back at #2? Just watch out.
    • When someone's feelings could get hurt or the joke is at someone's expense. Whether that's someone in the class, or a group that faces marginalization in society—or anyone that could face marginalization in the form of that joke. That means race jokes, blond jokes, class jokes, and yes, even yo' mama jokes. We're sorry. But at least "that's what she said" jokes are okay.
11. Be careful with sarcasm. That "that's what she said" thing we just said? Totally. Not. Cool. Sarcasm is a widespread form of humor in our society—and especially on our Netflix cue. But its definition as "the use of irony to mock or convey contempt" (source) shows the danger of using it around children: they may feel the sting mockery or the contempt, but not get that it's being said in an ironic way. So unless you're flagging the use of irony, be careful where you play the sarcasm card.

Finally, (and #12) it's okay to make dumb jokes. We took away sarcasm, so we've got to at least give you that. After all, no one's saying you need to memorize a joke book or take a comedy class. Humor can be a great tool in the classroom to help lighten things up a bit (and do all those other things we said at the beginning). So feel comfortable throwing in a dorky pun or an iffy joke. Even if the kids are laughing at how stupid it is, it can still add to your class's sense of camaraderie, and give everyone a dose of levity.

Now get out there and give those ladies and germs something to giggle about.

Thank you. We'll be here all week.