Preview of Mary Kay's Book

Using Humor to Maximize Learning

Exploring the Links between Positive Emotions and Learning

Annotated Table of Contents

What is humor exactly? How do you get a sense of humor? Once you find yours, how do you use it to maximize learning? If it is so important, why is it rarely mentioned in teacher preparation without some clues for finding and using it?

The purpose of this book is to affirm, sustain and encourage educators in the practice of humor not only as a personal tool to optimize a healthy life style, but to maximize the benefits of humor in education. These benefits include current research-based data on the use of humor to nurture creativity, to increase the capacity for memory retention, to support an optimal learning environment and to build safe communities that reflect the relational trust necessary for collaborative learning.

Educators value humor. References to the importance of having a sense of humor are liberally sprinkled throughout the school-based literature. It is usually mentioned as a factor to look for when hiring, as well as one of the qualities of effective teachers. High school students will tell you humor is the trait they value most in a teacher. It is without a doubt the one quality that most of us agree is needed in education. However, the study of humor as a practice in education is rare. Humor is often quickly dismissed as a strategy because it is associated with comedy and joke telling. The truth is that humor can provide numerous benefits for educators who are serious about exploring the relationship between the positive emotions and learning.

This book is intended to explore the pedagogy of humor as a viable and valuable component of learning. The author encourages you to view humor as the key to sustaining positive emotionality as the foundation for maximizing learning.

Chapter 1: Humor: The Tonic for Tired Educators

Step right up and get your humor here! The benefits of humor are extraordinary. When there is a fusion of enthusiasm, energy, joy and hope, a peak experience emerges that most of us identify as a sense of humor. The relatively new field of positive psychology strives to understand and promote human potential that enable individuals and communities to thrive. Humor is one of the cognitive strengths connecting our basic temperament and our lifetime experiences.

This chapter provides foundational information for improving humor practice. Definitions, a historical perspective and the benefits of humor are explored. The phenomenon of humergy, the energy that comes from humor, is investigated. Get ready for a spoonful of fun provoking a belly laugh or at least a chuckle or two.

Chapter 2: Developing Your Humor Being; A Nut Is Born

Each infant’s brain contains a unique blueprint for humor maturation. Universal patterns of humor development are the foundation for cultivating individual growth and determining what type of humor is possible for each age or stage of development. The Growing Up Funny list is an investigation of distinct phases of humor development.

1. Peek-a-Boo

2. Knock-Knock

3. Riddle -De-Dee

4. Pun-Fun

5. Joy-Flow

Play is an integral part of humor development at all of these stages. Most children are finding a reduction of free play as structured activities and studying consume more and more of their time. The loss of free play and the possible negative impact on learning opens up opportunities for dialogue among colleagues.

Did you grow up funny? What is your humor foundation and current humor practice? This exploration of humor development will encourage the reader to begin to examine their own unique humor growth and practice.

Chapter 3: Mouse Droppings: Examining Brain Research and Humor

What have we learned from brain research about humor? Two kinds of mice are providing us with information about laughter, fun and positive emotionality.

Mice are frequently used in research providing a foundation for what we know about the emotions and the field of humor studies.
Another type of mouse manipulation, using computerized imaging techniques, is advancing research at an incredible speed and actually allows us to see brain activity levels while students are learning.

A staggering amount of data is emerging from the biological research and imaging technology to provide compelling evidence on the significance of humor in education. While it is clear that fear and stress inhibit learning, the research on humor/joy is a more complex process. An increasing number of studies confirm the relationship between the positive emotions and learning. This chapter includes a synopsis of the humor research with evidence that humor skills have a direct relation to increased learning.

Chapter 4: Hurtful Humor; No Laughing Matter

There are moments in history when nations wonder if the ability to use humor has been lost to an extraordinary tragedy such as 9/11. There are also moments in school history when humor seems to be lost. The current emphasis on legislated mandates seems to have dampened our ability to have fun in schools. Educators are often overwhelmed with the changes that are generated in our schools from legislation. These increasing mandates often cause a high degree of stress.

Negative humor often emerges from excess stress and fear. An examination of how fear triggers an unhealthy emotional climate and how humorphobia (the fear of humor) inhibits learning is examined in this chapter. The nature of inappropriate humor including that of bullies and victims will be investigated. Recognizing humordoomer behavior is the key to understanding possible strategies for building better relationships with these individuals.

Chapter 5: The Humor Workout; Pumping Up With Practice

What is your humor style? The humor styles inventory will assist you in understanding why we all find humor in different things. Although both nature and nurture contribute to our sense of humor, humergy is a skill that can be enhanced with practice. While we are not exactly “born with a sense of humor”, temperament is a significant factor in humor development. Life experiences, age, gender, cultural background, work situation, relationships and personality all have an impact on our humor approach. Join the humor marathon. With effort anyone can increase and enjoy a HUMOR POWER WORKOUT that will improve their humor core.

Your humor workout provides benefits that:

Maximize Creativity and Comprehension

J Increases ability to take risks and try new things

J Expands ability to generate ideas

J Captures attention

J Increases memory storage and retrieval

J Respond to change and crisis with positive energy

Facilitate Communication with Individuals and in Groups

J Enables observation of our internal emotional state

J Reflects the inner spirit of self and others

J Increases ability to “read” the emotions of others

J Reduces tension, fear and anger

J Nurtures trust

J Increases group energy and positive group dynamics

Chapter 6: It’s a Circus out There! Humor Magic

This is it! Humor is a powerful tool for capturing student attention and increasing retention. Humorous ways to use research proven memory strategies such as summarizing, note taking, questioning and reflection will be given.

The goal of this chapter is to provide humor strategies that will:

J Encourage the development of a sense of humor for each stage or development ( as outlined in chapter 2)

J Provide humor hooks for a variety of subject areas

J Increase understanding and strengthen long term memory through the differentiation and research based instructional strategies

J Shared educator ideas for using humor as an effective behavior management technique.

This chapter uses a circus theme with three separate rings to showcase a multitude of ideas that can be used by teachers and implemented immediately in their classroom.

% Ring One: Grade level tricks

% Ring Two: Subject level stunts and multidisciplinary strategies

% Ring Three: Specific Cognitive Strategies for Using Humor to Increase Student Achievement

% Ringmaster tricks of behavior management

These ideas are easy to implement and absolutely free for teachers who have the courage to practice humor.

Chapter 7: A Happy School is a Healthy School

If you walk into your neighborhood school, do you find happy children, teachers and administrators? Is the emotional climate one of trust and positive energy? Schools can be measured by cultural indicators that are evident in looking at a framework that examines the where, how and what of learning. The belief systems of educators impact their emotional contribution to the level of happiness found in a school culture. The level of humor, laughter and fun will be evident in schools that have high levels of trust.

Humor; A Vital Tool for Educators

The study of humor provides new perceptions into critical issues facing educators. It allows the freedom to not only think “out of the box” but to have fun while doing so.

Significant areas of impact include the ability of humor to:

J Define the ability of a leader to build a culture of trust

J Maximize the capacity of individuals for effective communication

J Create an optimal learning environment

J Capture the attentional center of the brain

J Plant information into the long-term memory

J Reduce stress

J Promote a healthy positive lifestyle