Humor in the Classroom: A Guide for Language Teachers and Educational Researchers, Nancy D. Bell & Anne Pomerantz, Routledge, New York (2016). 204 pp., ISBN: 978-0-415-64054-1 (pbk) (original) (raw)
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BOOK REVIEW: Humor in the Classroom: A Guide for Language Teachers and Educational Researchers
Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 2017
With the advent of humanistic approach to education, notions like whole person learning, learner-centered education (LCE) and edutainment gained more popularity. The outburst of technology-enhanced methods of learning provided more momentum and impetus for more humanistic trends in education prioritizing learner emotions, needs and desires. Thus, the endeavors made by current practitioners and educationalists to create more playful, fun and engaging ways of learning in humor-laden, stress-free and non-threatening learning environments might be regarded as the offspring of both movements referred to above, i.e. humanistic education and technology-enriched learning. The main mission of the book reviewed here, entitled Humor in the Classroom: A guide for Language Teachers and Educational Researchers, is therefore, thought to be twofold. On the one hand, the book tries to inform teachers of the ways in which humor can be integrated in learning environments, and on the other, it strives to pave the way for more inclusive and fun learning by introducing practical techniques and presenting a researchsupported gamut of available options for implementing such learning. The book comes in nine chapters, all dealing with diverse perspectives of learning with fun. In Chapter 1, titled Language, Communication and Education, after giving an account of how language
Optimizing Humor in Language Classrooms Introduction and content map
Development of efficient language classrooms has been the concern all over the world for ages. An efficient language classrooms may be characterized by virtues such as; how interesting and relevant the lessons are, how easy and quick is the acquisition, its integration with other knowledge systems, timely recall, judicious use of the same and creative modifications in the skills acquired. The objective of this paper is to vindicate classroom humor as an instructional strategy. It advocates an objective and optimum use of humor so as to create inviting language classrooms and integrate learning with fun. Humor in pedagogy, in general and language pedagogy in particular, as principle as well as practice, has been there for ages. Philosophers, scholars, religious or political leaders and teachers have attempted to exploit the riches of humor for pedagogical outcomes. Still the discrepancy between the input and intake prevails. There have been vigorous attempts, in past as well as in recent times, to evolve or adopt mechanisms which can enhance the efficiency. This paper seeks to present 'humor' as a tool to reduce the discrepancy between input and intake. Such use of humor in language classrooms has behavioral as well intellectual aspects. Besides discussing these aspects, this paper contemplates on how to mold these possibilities into deliberate positive outcomes.
Humor in the Classroom provides practical, research-based answers to questions that educational researchers and language teachers might have about the social and cognitive benefits that humor and language play afford in classroom discourse and additional language learning. The book considers the ways in which humor, language play, and creativity can construct new possibilities for classroom identity, critique prevailing norms, and reconfigure particular relations of power. Humor in the Classroom encourages educational researchers and language teachers to take a fresh look at the workings of humor in today's linguistically diverse classrooms and makes the argument for its role in building a stronger foundation for studies of classroom discourse, theories of additional language development, and approaches to language pedagogy.
Humor in the Classroom: A Guide for Language Teachers and Educational Researchers
Those seeking concrete strategies for preparing L2 teachers will not find them in this book. Even the recommendations provided in the last chapter are relatively theoretical and abstract. The authors caution that the practices they present are not necessarily "best practices" but are meant to illustrate the challenges and affordances of enacting responsive mediation and to paint a picture of L2 teacher education in all of its nuance and complexity. As such, this book may be a useful resource for L2 teacher educators seeking to put their "pedagogy under a microscope" (p. 163) in search of more responsive ways of cultivating teacher expertise.
Humor as a Technique in English Language Teaching (Elt)
International Journal of Teaching & Education, 2020
There is no doubt that teachers of English as a foreign language are faced with enormous challenges in their classrooms. They are expected to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse number of learners every year; and there is more content to teach each year as well. Providing teachers with different strategies and teaching methods is the area of Applied Linguistics. This paper aims at highlighting the value of adding some sort of fun-class activities to the miscellaneous teaching methods that are at the discretion of foreign language teachers. It explores the role of such activities in motivating students, the effect they have on reducing the boredom of teaching and learning processes, as well as their significance in rendering the whole process as interesting as possible. To tackle the topic, the paper is organized into five sections: section one is introductory. It sheds light on the topic in general and the type of fun-class activities involved. Section two, dwells on the discipline of applied linguistics and its contribution to the process of foreign language teaching. Section three, exhibits the various methods and approaches put forward by applied linguists to assist foreign language teachers in the teaching process. Section four is the core of the study in which different fun-class activities are presented along with the linguistic aspect they support in language classes. Section five, eventually presents the conclusions the study has arrived at. The paper ends with a list of the references consulted.
Humor is the key which can bridge a mutual understanding from one culture to the other. In the West, kenyataresearcher believe that our superficial sense of individualism inclines us to forget that people in other countries are generally more easy-going and less worried about offending someone. More importantly, people outside of English-speaking countries love to laugh and be playful. Of course, they are serious about studying, but they expect the English classroom to be fun, energetic, open and engaging. For many students, the EFL classroom is a way for them to temporary escape from the stress, repetition and chaos of life. Therefore, it is creative job as a teacher to minimize discomfort, negativity and frustration in the classroom. Abstrak: Humor adalah salah satu kunci yang menjembatani pemahaman timbal balik antar satu budaya dengan budaya lainnya. Dalam budaya barat, peneliti yakin bahwa rasa individualisme yang kadangkala mengaburkan pemikiran kita mengenai orang-orang dari ...
Humor: A teaching tool to use rather than ignore
2018 International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research
A smooth transfer of knowledge from instructor to student is what is desired in any learning context. One of the essential methods in making this happen is the use of humor in teaching. This study sought the influence of humor as a teaching tool on the student's engagement in classroom learning from students’ point of view and to find out the availability and extent of humor used as a teaching tool in the classes of Kandahar University from students’ perspective. The study employed a quantitative research-based survey design and used a questionnaire to collect data from a sample of 370 participants. The findings revealed that humor as a useful teaching tool positively influences students’ classroom learning engagement but it is not utilized by most teachers as a teaching tool.