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Humor in the Classroom.

1971; Wiley; Linguagem: Inglês

1936-2714

Hap Gilliland, Harriet Mauritsen,

Comics and Graphic Narratives

teachers, as cooks, need spice to keep their hungry customers coming, expecting to be nourished from an exciting menu. Humor can be that necessary spice. Writers and professors of methods courses seldom put the emphasis it deserves upon the use of humor in teaching. Perhaps this is because humor is such an elusive thing. It is easy to explain to a group of teachers how they can teach the short sound of a vowel, but it is very difficult to explain how to develop a sense of humor or how to find humorous situations that will make learning fun. Yet teachers need to become aware of the impact that humor can have on a child's personality; the aid it can give in providing a relaxed and enjoyable classroom atmosphere; the humanizing effect it can have upon a subject being studied. What better proof can a teacher have that her reading program has been a success, than to see smiles on the faces of her students, or hear them chuckling at their seats as they read independently. Humor in teaching can help to make reading a more natural and accepted part of her child's life. In many classrooms learning is serious work, which can never be taken lightly by either the pupil or the teacher. Yet in other classes, very similar in outward appearance, a feeling of the joy of learning pervades the atmosphere, as humor pops in and out of the room environment, interest corners, and group activi ties. Humor sings in creative writing, pictures, and language experience work. It is enjoyed together whenever it is found in stories read aloud, or in the child's personal reading. Children learn to see the humor in the little errors and problems that could otherwise cause frustration.