Humor in the Classroom

Students must be able to create, and be a member of, a positive and focused environment to promote learning.  Students must feel comfortable and confident interacting with their instructor and peers.  E-learners approach building a learning community in unique ways.   “E-learners also join their own community, the one constituted in cyberspace, where they create norms for their ‘cyber-local’ online community that are different from any geographically local set of norms.” (Haythornthwaite, pg. 110)  E-learners create their own communities through interaction with the peers separate from their physical communities.  The use of humor encourages e-learners to create their own learning communities.    “Classrooms with healthy climates are settings in which students feel valued, emotionally safe, and free to actively participate and experiment. They are also classes in which student learning is maximized.” (Skinner, pg. 20)  Using humor in a positive manner promotes a healthy classroom environment.

References:

Haythornthwaite, C., & Andrews, R. (2011). E-learning theory & practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Pastis, S. (2010, May Day). Cartoon. Pearles Before Swine.

Skinner, M. E. (2010). ALL JOKING ASIDE: Five reasons to use humor in the classroom. The Education Digest, 76(2), 19-21. Retrieved from http://saccharometric