I have truly enjoyed reading all the first class follow-up commentary on my original article pertaining to humor in the classroom. There can be no denial that laughter has its rightful place within a class -- particularly in the ESL world. It doesn't seem to matter from which locale or culture a student has emanated, for humor is surely humor by ANY standard, while the first gesture that can be shared by student and teacher alike might very well be regarded as the creation of that common bond of mutual cooperation in the ensuing learning process.

Again, each of us employs his/her own methodology in achieving the goal of student attention ... and once this has been established , we, as instructors, feast on Mt. Olympus in knowing that we have not strayed from that much-revered route to satisfaction as educators. And each time I succeed in capturing a new audience ... I love it!

Viva ESL!

Love to all,

The Arrogant One

I liked your descriptions about running upstairs, Bruce Lee, and not paying at the restaurant.
Good stuff.

I am far from an expert on humour and would never claim to be.I'm still a relative babe in ESL with so far just two and half years experience.

All I can relate is what for the most part works for me.I also think that in an ideal or perfect world, not a lot of humour would be necessary in the classroom, but the society that we live in today is a breeding ground for short attention spans.That's possibly why rich kids ,whose parents can afford the latest gadgets,(mp3's,computer games, dvds etc.) are often harder to teach.

The best humour is spontaneous.Most of what I use is not pre-planned.A simple illustration of an animal or a man running upstairs in the form of gestures or mimicking can provide comic relief, as well as being an effective teaching aid.

I always use gestures in class, and used creatively they can be very humourus to not just Chinese children but adults as well!Everyone can relate to gestures especially if you put across everyday funny situations.

For instance in the previous Middle School where I taught I was trying to explain to the children what a bill or check(cheque) is in a restaurant.The students couldn't understand as I tried to get them to think of what a customer has to do after they've eaten their meal, but before they leave the restaurant.

I gestured as if I'd just finished a meal in a restaurant and was about to pay for my meal when shock horror, I realise I've left my wallet at home .So I illustrate a man frantically searching his pockets for money,and realising he hasn't any with him ,then looking around furtively ,before making a mad dash for the door.

This had the class in stitches,but also helped virtually all the children to instantly know what I meant!Very enjoyable for everybody,and I thought a much better memory aid for the students than just throwing the Chinese word at them.

This was something I thought of on the spur of the moment ,but then used for all subsequent classes where I was teaching that word.

This is of course hardly ground-breaking stuff.I'm sure many teachers use similar and often even better examples.

Sometimes If I'm talking about the word song or sing ,I sing for a few seconds,sometimes a few words of a Chinese song I know.I find this helpful in building a rapport with my students which I feel is essential.It's true we're not there to make friends with the students but there's a lot to be gained in being friendly to them.

I also mimic Bruce Lee a lot in class.Although this popular kung fu star died more than thirty years ago virtually every Chinese child I've taught in Elementary and Middle School know who he was, (if you mention his Chinese name) and enjoy my poor impersonations of him.

I go into a Bruce Lee fighting stance when a child is not paying attention, i.e doing other homework or talking in class and this light-hearted reaction usually stops the negative behaviour without me shouting or getting angry.

Again hardly ground-breaking and maybe not to everyones cup of tea.As for censoring just use common sense with children(nothing blue)just like anywhere,and take into consideration that often even Chinese adults don't like blue humour in public!I also generally stay clear of religon or politics.

I've just thought of something else I do sometimes.If I ask a Chinese child for their English name and they say Bill for example,I might do an impersonation of Bill Clinton or something.

When I ask some children for their English name, sometimes they might respond with 'Bu shi!',meaning '...don't have..',but I often pretend to take this to mean their name is Bush, and launch into a poor impersonation of the American President.

I try not to make the mistake of joking and fooling around in class to much.I use humour to ADD to my class to make it more presentable and palatable,to get the students to relax and to open and focus their minds.

Although humour is an important tool the real meat of my lessons are the lesson plans.My humour is simply used as a channel to get each lesson across to the students.

Of course it doesn't always work,I have my fair share of days where it all falls apart and I think what the hell am I doing here,but I guess that's part of the life of an ESL teacher!

I'm sorry if anybody thinks the above is inane or a load of twaddle but we all have our different ideas and approaches and anyway for the most part it works for me.

I realise I still have a lot to learn and just like others I'm trying to find better ideas,appproaches and ways to improve my teaching.

Best wishes to all ESL teachers everywhere!

Nice post. I agree completely. I've often wondered about how to best deliver new material to my students. You're right, AO. Students' first impressions of new and difficult material determines if that material makes into their noodles on the first take or will require several repeats. I teach at a gov't school in Thailand. I've used 'fun and games' (Bozo's Way) with some material, and I've used a more 'reserved' delivery with other material. I think BOTH ways are important, and here's why:

1. Bozo's Way does help younger learners overcome that ever-present 'inferiority complex' with which all my Thai students seem to be plagued. My making my students laugh seems to make them forget, if only for a few moments, their belief inside that 'they can't do it'. I've seen amazing things in my classes when my kids have acted like hyenas.

2. The 'reserved' way is important to remind students they need to make an extreme effort to learn English. Our 'climb' up the English mountain was like an easy walk up a 10-degree slope. For my students (who have no contact with native speakers other than me), learning English is like climbing straight up a sheer rock face--it's slow and definitely NOT easy. Practice, practice, practice we all tell our students. Well, that's boring, boring, boring to a Thai student. I think using a 'boring' approach sometimes is a good way to get my students 'used' to the fact that learning English is, at times, BORING. If they accept this, they may very well develop the initiative to practice, practice, practice on their own. It's hard....after all, I teach in Thailand where 'charm' is the key.

Yingwen,

I believe you've captured the essence of what I was originally saying ... that humor in the classroom is a tool for controlling the initial introduction of the material to be learned and, thereafter, to more or less guide the general "learning attitude" of the student body.

I loved something else you said, at the outset of your dissertation ... that LIFE, itself, is very serious and that humor plays a large part in it. I dare say, were it not for our innate sense of humor, so many more of us would find ourselves totally incapable of surviving many of life's everyday challenges. Ergo, stiff-necked, ultra-authoritarian approaches to dealing with students--albeit most effective in the military where DISCIPLINE supersedes all other objectives--is surely NOT the answer in the ESL realm. After all, ESL IS a business, while it's more pleasant to see "customers" with smiles on their faces rather than anger or confusion. In the final analysis, the employment of humor and the intensity of one's teaching style are simply matters of common sense.

...joined the circus.

yeah. acting like a clown - the first and last resort of those who haven't got a clue how to teach, what to teach, and therefore have nothing to teach.

at least in your case, Mr A, we know youre not acting.

JO might have been lapsing into into irony with the monotone delivery stuff, but anyone with half a clue would easily recognise the "grain of truth".

OK I admit it wuz just a joke.

But there iz sum truth to it.

The students do have to take learning seriously enuff to give it priority over play time, even if it gets difficult or dull. Anybody who wants to be more than a follower needs to have the discipline & fortitude to go after information rather than expecting it to fall off the tree like a ripe fruit.

Its JO, not Jo.

Alright.

I have to admit,I fell for it.
Nice one Jo!

I find it hard to believe that you are serious in believing that a dry sombre approach would be effective in the esl classroom.

If I tried the methods you mentioned in one of the classrooms of the private Middle School where I teach my students would ALL full asleep very quickly.

Even most adult students would find your approach very tedious!

In my school the students start class,which they have seven days a week, at 6.45am and finish at 8.15pm.
Many of them are not even interested in learning English in the first place!

On top of that they're CHILDREN,many of whom have the attention span of a wall(Have you ever tried to talk to a wall?).I think many esl teachers know what I mean!
A lively animated and stimulating approach coupled with a bit of charisma,can often inspire the least motivated of students.

The postings of scores of teachers ,talking about how difficult it is to hold students attention for more than five minutes bears witness to how important our approach and presentation is when teaching esl.

I can't for the life of me see how a dry,sombre,unadorned monotone is going to do anything but drive them further into slumber.

Surely your approach epitomizes how NOT to do it!

I don't know if your joking,because it seems unbelievable that anybody would think your methods would be effective in the classroom, except to bore the pants of everybody in sight.

If I turned up for one of my Middle School classes and attempted to present my class in a dry,sombre monotone, my students would ALL be asleep in minutes,much more I think I would be pretty quickly slumped over my desk asleep as well.

Even adult students would quickly switch off if they recieved such a presentation.

I have to recognise that many of the students in the private Middle School where I teach don't even want to be in the class learning English,in the first place!Their classes, which are seven days a week in my school, start at 6.45 in the morning ,and finish around 8.15 in the evening,and they are CHILDREN,many with the attention span of a wall(Have you ever tried to talk to a wall before?)I think most esl teachers know what I mean.

Your sombre, unadorned approach would CERTAINLY give you the impression YOU were talking to a wall,because I'm sure they would virtually all switch off in a very short time.

I believe that two teachers could give exactly the same lesson using the same lesson plan, to exactly the same class and one could have a great fun and active class while the other could fail miserably sending the whole class to sleep!

A bit of charisma is essential in the classroom.Being animated,alive,cheerful and stimulating can often do wonders to a class of unmotivated students.

Sombre? Monotone? Unadorned? Cold? Dry? Matter of fact?.It sounds the epitome of how NOT to do it!

There have been many theories on WHAT, exactly, makes an ESL student desire to return to a particular class session after session. Is it the content of the lesson or the method by which it is delivered? Im convinced that its a combination of the two provided the teacher can meet certain qualifications without appearing like the village idiot. Having spend most of my life a frustrated actor, I long ago adopted the theory that if I can make em laugh, my students will be that much more receptive to the learning material at hand, no matter how boring it might otherwise tend to be. Of course, my particular brand of shtick has always tended to coincide with my somewhat corpulent midriff (wherein, despite my being male, students refer to me as being about 7 months pregnant!), balding head, and somewhat advanced age (Im now pushing 68). Hitting my audience with a series of one-liners at the commencement of each lesson has done absolute wonders for my getting them to pay attention to the subsequent delivery of new and difficult material especially at the lower levels. Of course, Im not saying they will learn such material more efficiently, nor will they remember same more readily. Its only that the initial intake, blended with a comical aura, might be a lot easier to digest than without. Also, being known by the students as a comic, does one a lot of good for his/her overall reputation at the school. Students actually look forward to having you as their teacher and, for that reason, will attempt to weather duller classes until that time arrives. Another way to look at is that, in your own way, you are assisting your school in maintaining a steady student population.

Just a thought, folks its not gospel.

Love to all,

The Arrogant One