If there’s something I’ve learnt from my years as an educator, it’s this: never to underestimate humour. A good laugh in the classroom works like magic.
You’ll agree there. You can spend lots of time and effort to explain something to them. But infuse some humour into it, and they’ll remember everything for a long time.
A ridiculous example, an absurd comparison, a funny comment and learning becomes so much more fun and engaging, making the learning stick.
It helps if teachers look at humour as a little break form the “serious business” of teaching. And believe me, it can actually make children think too.
Why Humour Makes the Brain Work
If you think about it, humour is no funny business. It’s actually a lot of work.
You expect something, and something unexpected happens. Instead of relaxing, your brain scrambles to connect the two and make sense of the surprise. And that too at lightning speed to be able to laugh at that moment.
That little detour fires up ingenuity in your brain.
Imagine what that does to children? Work looks more appealing now. They look at the same drab concepts differently, making unusual connections, and playing with possibilities hitherto missed.
And more importantly, if they’re allowed to be silly without being laughed at, they’re often more willing to experiment with ideas.
I remember once when we’re studying parts of a plant in the class, I confidently drew a plant on the board. Being artistically challenged, my plant looked…well, it was an abomination.
One student immediately pointed out that it looked like a monster. That was the trigger for the wild imagination that followed.
End result – they all learned the parts of the plant so well that we didn’t have to revise before exams!
Of course, you’ve to remember that laughing with children is very different from laughing at them. No ridiculing or embarrassing anyone. That’s neither funny nor acceptable.
Just plain clean amusement and laughter keeps their creativity going. The objective is to keep the atmosphere positive and not turn the classroom into a comedy club.
What If We Made Humour an Activity?
Another go-to game was to ask them to give the wrong reply. It brought about some hilarious moments in the classroom.
You don’t have to tell children something ludicrous to crack a smile. Sometimes asking them to do something ridiculous can also get the same results.
Sometimes we had the most fun in the English class when they had to make sentences with new words. It gave us some crazy laughs.
Or even tried asking them to give the most ridiculous wrong answer to a question. You’ve no idea how creative their imagination is!
Sometimes discussing a real-world problem can also work. Ask them to come up with the most ridiculous solution before you reveal the sensible one.
For instance, when we’re discussing ways of dealing with air pollution, they came up with the weirdest solutions, from nose clips to masks to oxygen drinks. Each tried to outdo the other.
But after the boisterous interactions calmed, it gave us an opportunity to discuss the gravity of the situation without making it scary or boring.
The thing is that once children start playing with ideas, they begin to enjoy the process, often surprising you.
Laugh First. Then Think Differently.
Laughing and enjoying the class doesn’t mean it’s unproductive or disruptive. Nor is the serious business of education turned into entertainment.
Some administrators see humour as distracting, strongly discouraging it. It’s not the right perspective.
When you use it thoughtfully, it can encourage engagement, create interest, and even spark their curiosity. A touch of humour makes education seem interesting.
A few moments of relaxed interaction, a few shared laughs, insider jokes, can create a strong bond between the teacher and students.
Every educator’s goal is to get their students interested and engaged in the class. And if it needs a little bit of humour, then it’s worth the effort.
Actually the whole process becomes effortless when everyone’s enjoying themselves. A joke can make a child laugh. But a well-placed moment of humour can make a child think.
So don’t keep the humour outside the school gates. Let it in and watch it work miracles!
