If we laughed in the classroom

Aditi Mathur and Ratnesh Mathur

It relaxes, it soothes, it bonds, it stimulates, it lightens, it connects, it opens up, it invites, it encourages, it pacifies, it eases, it humbles, it’s simple, it’s positive, it’s refreshing, it’s what we all enjoy and look forward to.

Ladies and gentleman, it’s the spice of our classroom, a catalyst to learning and a celebration of life.

It’s the ability to laugh in our body, to smile in our mind and to warm our heart – for no reason, in every season, with all pupils, at every turn, for every twist, in homework and exams, in classwork and discipline, in the assembly and the playground, in the staffroom and the washroom, in subjects and extra-curricular activities, in every nook and corner of every mind that is trying to enjoy this journey of education.

We look at humour in three ways (look at the visual representations). While these three overlap, the ways and reasons to add them in your classroom will be different as their effect is different. Leaving it your judgment when to use what.

The good old adage holds true for us teachers also – he who can laugh at himself, never ceases to be amused. If you want to create a classroom that rocks, here are quick 75 ways in which humour can begin with ME!

Laughing classroom
1. Make it welcome – put funny pictures, giggly posters, etc.
2. Circulate cartoons, jokes, and comic strips.
3. Collect strange and odd items and bring them to class.
4. Ask students to show off their collections.
5. Invite any child to be the class comedian.
6. Give funny rewards.
7. Collect and share class trivia.
8. Put plants and flowers.
9. Write on the board – “Maths is Fun”.
10. Use coloured chalks – always.
11. Throw a challenge.
12. Play music, sing songs.
13. Learn it differently – keeping the book standing, sleeping, or upside-down.

Laughing teacher
14. Keep a humour log – keep jokes, anecdotes, activities, student trivia, paper clips and this article.
15. If you make a mistake – laugh at it.
16. If you are facing a problem – laugh at it.
17. If children make a mistake – laugh at it.
18. Speak like another person.
19. Dress like another person.
20. Act like another person.
21. Use drawings on the board (stick figures or simple drawings where none are expected).
22. Take risks – do something unexpected.
23. Take risks: let’s see what will happen if…
24. Communicate positives.
25. Reframe negatives.
26. Wear teaching t-shirt/apron.
27. Use magic tricks.
28. Begin with humour – joke, incident, trivia.
29. State a funny expectation.
30. Use your humour log.
31. Use a prop/music/crayons/magic/action/items, e.g., telephone.

Laughing lessons
32. Use interesting stationary.
33. Give ridiculous deadlines (6 min 30 sec).
34. Ask strange questions.
35. Ask to write a story related to a topic.
36. Add humour to character.
37. Add character to inanimate objects.
38. Include drawing in lessons.
39. Use forgetful storyteller method.
40. Use all sense/mode of learning.
41. Compare – How is ……. like ……
42. Play games to review – like soft ball, pictionary, fastest gun, replay, guessing game and many more – invent.
43. Give ridiculous assignments.
44. Write in new forms (cool dude).
45. Student takes interview (end of class).
46. Teacher takes interview (beginning of class).
47. I have answers, you make questions.
48. Use paper planes to ask questions.
49. Students teach.

Laughing assessment
50. Test time – give each child a thinking cap.
51. Test time – give candies before you start.
59. How I am feeling – draw at the beginning.
52. Tell a joke.
53. Test method – write in bubbles, use funny stationary, etc.
54. Test – make sentences humorous.
55. Test – choose a theme.
56. Include trivia questions/goofy questions.
57. Use students names in questions.
58. For every wrong answer give a toffee.

Laughing discipline
59. Cry (publicly) over the problem.
60. Exaggerate the problem.
61. Compliment students instead of reprimanding them.
62. Simply laugh at it.
63. Show how to do something by drama and exaggeration.
64. Show how not to do something by drama and exaggeration.
65. Ask “What if?”
66. Use tension reliever games.
67. If none of the 66 tricks work, go on a long leave (you deserve it).

Humour type – Funny
• Feeling: Laughter
• Tickles: Body
• Humour: “HUM” and “OUR” with each other and not at each other.

Do
• Clowning
• Imitation
• Entertainment
• See fun in the situation
• Method: Movement, props, and expressions

Avoid
• Ridiculing actions
• Mimicking negatives
• Overdoing, not knowing when to stop
• Indecent movement, words

Humour type – Loving
• Feeling: Warmth
• Tickles: Heart

Do
• Inspirational approach
• Positive expectations
• Friendly, playful and creative
• Praise and encouragement
• Enthusiasm in expression and movement

Avoid
• Fault finding
• Blaming person instead of action
• Authoritative (evoke fearful respect)
• Pessimism
• Belittling humour

Humour type – Witty
• Feeling: Smile
• Tickles: Mind

Do
• Funny tales, anecdotes
• Wit
• Jokes
• Puns/word play
• Perspectives
• Voice modulation

Avoid
• Sarcasm
• Insulting language
• Judgements
• Self belittling or self deprecating

The authors run an open unschool called Aarohi and invite all readers to visit and see how open learning can be an amazing way to work with children. They also conduct training retreats and online training for teachers and parents. Visit www.aarohilife.org.