How important do you find using humor in the online classroom environment for establishing good student - teacher relationships?
I ask this because I have found that this is the keystone to many of my chats to make them enjoyable for the students. I encourage them to make humourous (British English spelling)comments too about what we are doing in the class in the chat box. I think it helps with participation and just basically showing up for class.
Humor can be a great tool as long as everyone in the class understands that it is humor. It is also important to use humor that won't offend others--which sometimes is difficult to predict. I know some instructors use cartoons in discussions and emails to lighten things up a bit and allow the students to have a laugh. What I am trying to say is when humor is used well, it can be a tremendous tool, however, if it is used poorly, it can really do damage to the class.
Humor has been found to be very powerful in the mathematics classroom. Humor should be used tactfully and should relate to the class. It should also be very nuetral and should not be offensive. The use of humor in the online setting adds that human factor to the classroom that is missing because of the lack of face time.
I enjoy injecting humor in my Live Chat sessions whenever possible. I want students to feel at ease in my presence. Humor for me comes naturally, and I think students can tell if someone is forcing humor versus just being themselves.
I think the humour (sic) that works best for me is word puns, or bringing in ideas from what students write in the chat box and weaving that in later in the chat creatively. It lets me enjoy the chat a lot more, especially if it's one I've done many times. The students seem to enjoy it as well.
I find that humor can put students at ease in the virtual classroom and lighten the tone of a discussion. At times, it may even encourage students to become more engaged in a discussion. However, as much as possible, I plan the types of humorous statements made. Use of humorous images is obviously planned. Given the diversity of backgrounds among students and the varying levels of interpretation, it is important to ensure that humor is not misinterpreted or potentially offensive as others have pointed out in this discussion. As is the case with any type of student interaction, if a student is offended or feels that he/she is not being treated appropriately by the instructor, the instructor-student relationship can be damaged. Re-building the relationship may not be an easy process and has broader implications.
Can you tell me more about how humor is powerful in the mathematics classroom? It would be great to hear some specific examples. Thanks
I start all of my live chats with a slide called Math Humor. Many of my slides are from the lol catz collection that are math related. But I have one with a pi symbol telling i to "get real" and the the i tells the pi to "be rational". I have one with Clint Eastwood and a large gun with the caption, "Basic Math, because the difference between 5 and 6 can be very damned important." It is all about making the students feel at ease in the mathematics classroom. If I can make math fun maybe they'll stick through the class.
Humor is essential, but in a politically correct world the land mines are many. I try to use humor from my own life in the form of stories. Jokes are tough to judge. I do use as neutral as possible cartoons.
That's true, Dennis...jokes should be thoroughly "vetted" before being posted, as they might be construed as being offensive.
I like to use self-deprecating humor a lot; I find that it helps students feel as though I'm a REAL person instead a disembodied collection of text messages on a computer screen!
I hold a synchronous chat sessions but unfortunately, students are not mandated to attend the chats. To get students to attend the test, I try to use some humor. I also emphasize that my chats are very "informal" and that they can relax and have a good time. This tends to lighten things up a bit and I tend to get repeat students in my synchronous chat sessions which mixes things up a bit for me.
If you are going to use humor, it is important for it to be natural and not forced. You are right in that humor, if used appropriately, can help students feel more at ease.
Great suggestions Mark. It sounds like using humor has really helped you in your classes.
I think you bring up a really good point Danita in terms of making sure you don't offend students with humor. In addition, you need to make sure you don't make assumptions about students. For example their gender or ethnicity.
I think Math can be a very challenging topic to teach because of the Math phobia so many students experience. If you can make it fun, it might encourage students to stay in class.
You are absolutely correct Dennis! Humor can be a great way to engage students but if it offends a student, it can have the very opposite effect.
I definitely believe it is a crucial part of online classes to be humorous at times, because it sets a tone of relaxation in the platform. I believe students who know they can communicate with their classmates and instructors on an actual human level. Humor really boost the morale in the class.
Humor is what works best for me. If I can get my students laughing, I have won them over. It is my goal to always get them laughing on that first day. What is most satisfying is students who write emails having watched archived chats who appreciated my method of presentation and humourous attitude.
As for what kind of humour? Surely, nothing offensive. But I like to push the envelope here a bit. I find you can get away with more if you are careful and make clear that you do not mean to offend anyone. Then again, some people are going to be offended no matter what, so I think it's better to use the humour and risk offending those people, who really LIKE being offended, and deal with whatever fallout may occur in these isolated cases.
That said, I am not pushing the envelope beyond anything that is reasonable and pretty universally appropriate. Also, by using a disclaimer, and even feigning embarrassment, I can usually see how I am doing and what people's level of acceptance is for slightly adult material (though quite the same as what you can hear on TV at 7 p.m.)...
Humor is a wonderful tool if used properly. It can transform the online classroom into a casual and fun place, but it must be used carefully. The absence of visual cues puts a special burden on the delivery of the humor, so it is much more of a challenge to use it effectively. People can be offended so easily these days.
Dennis,
You aren't kidding about the land mines! Using humorous stories about your own life may be one of the safest ways to inject humor. Neutral cartoons, too. It sounds like you have been successful with humor in your own classroom. Kudos!
