What is Mr. Bean doing in a science class?

Jayanth Nadheri

I still recall that day my 7^th grade science class was buzzing with a different kind of energy: “Mr. Bean?” they erupted, a chorus of recognition echoing through the room. I never thought they would identify him when I played the video. Mr. Bean is a character from a popular comic series from the 1990s portrayed by Rowan Atkinson. Mr. Bean is a man of few words, but a master of humour. So what was Mr. Bean doing in a science class?

I was working on a lesson plan for the topic “Properties of an image formed by a plane mirror” from the chapter on “Light” for grade 7. That’s when I remembered a scene from the movie Bean (1997), where Mr. Bean is acting funnily in front of a mirror. I thought this would be a great way for students to observe and identify image properties. The students were enthusiastic and eager to participate when I presented them with this idea. I was amazed by their reactions and detailed observations. I wondered how they connected with a character from a 1990s series, who didn’t even speak in the scene. That made me think. I started using similar videos and pictures from cartoons and movies, modified with text (memes) in different classes. I could see students were brimming with excitement to discuss the memes. Each time, they were more curious and involved than before. That’s when I realized humour, especially memes (videos and pictures) could do wonders if used appropriately in the teaching-learning process.

Fig 1 shows a screenshot of the video previously mentioned. Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4 show similar memes used for different topics in grades 7 and 12. One of the key features of the meme, I realized, is its multimodality. You can bring out the content and humour through audio, text, image, and videos interchangeably. I also realized that memes could be used to introduce a lesson, to deliver content, instructions and also to show reaction. This flexibility helped me utilize memes in the classroom for various purposes.

After each class, I reflected on the videos and pictures used and how students responded to them.

A thoughtful feedback

“Sir, a normal magnet doesn’t have this much power to attract distant objects,” one of the students yelled. “Tom would probably die if he ate a magnet,” someone added. I didn’t expect this from a 6^th grade science class when I showed them a video meme created from a Tom & Jerry scene, where a U-shaped magnet goes inside Tom and attracts a bone with a metallic screw, even though Tom is far away. For a moment, I was taken aback. I re-directed the comments to the other students and asked for their opinions. Soon, the comments became room for discussion among the students, and later a demonstration on the attractive power of magnets. I realized that utmost care has to be taken when using memes in the classroom. It is possible that memes may lead to misconceptions. Upon further reflection, I was also happy that the Tom & Jerry meme helped students realize that the real world is different from the reel world and that it initiated a meaningful discussion. I hadn’t foreseen this or planned the lesson accordingly. This was thoughtful feedback from the students and I realized the possibility of misconceptions and how I should anticipate, plan, and handle them wisely.

Soon, I began, learning “humour” seriously.

Memes, humour, and the classroom

“Boredom may be the largest pedagogical obstacle to teaching and many believe it is up to teachers to spark students’ interest in classes” (Hackathorn et al., 2011; Smith, 2007). Teachers dedicate considerable time to developing teaching aids and lesson plans to create an interesting and engaging learning environment. One way to spark students’ enthusiasm is through humour, whether verbal or non-verbal. Humour is a “word, concept, or situation that entertains, relaxes, or makes people laugh due to its pleasant characteristics” (Erdoğdu & Çakıroğlu, 2021). It’s considered a pedagogical method that can help engage students and facilitate the understanding of concepts. Humour enhances students’ learning experiences, going beyond creating opportunities for laughter (Bakar, F., & Kumar, 2019). Using humour in the classroom can foster a positive learning environment, strengthen student-instructor interactions, and reduce test anxiety (Erdoğdu & Çakıroğlu, 2021).

How each generation consumes and processes information is different. The younger generation of students is more inclined to use digital and social media for sharing and gaining information, and the use of these platforms has grown in contemporary educational settings. Internet culture and the rise of memes as a ubiquitous element has transformed the ways in which people comment on current events, challenge mainstream narratives, and address issues.

Meme is “an element of a culture or system of behaviour passed from one individual to another by imitation or other non-genetic means” (Oxford Languages). The word was coined by British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book The Selfish Gene, to explain evolutionary principles in the spread of ideas and cultural phenomena. The term has a modern definition in the context of the development of digital technologies and social media: “an image, video, piece of text, etc., typically humorous in nature, that is copied and spread rapidly by internet users, often with slight variations” (Oxford Languages).

In education, memes provide opportunities for teachers to engage students in new and exciting ways, by tapping into the creativity and humour of internet culture, and at the same time, helping students acquire critical thinking, creativity, and digital literacy skills. Educational memes can make learning more enjoyable and have the potential to develop 21^st century skills by using humour and visual elements, (Sidekerskiene, 2023). Several studies have shown memes as a creative and innovative way of presenting content and connecting students to reality (Lopes & Leite, 2024; Tu et al., 2023). They are used for engaging students in the classroom, introducing content, providing instructions, and learning languages, for better memorization, assessment, and many more (Dongqiang et al.; 2020, Tu et al., 2023). Memes can effectively convey complex scientific concepts through a combination of text and images. A simple search on the internet can provide you with hundreds of memes from science. Lopes & Leite (2024) analyzed the use of memes in various entrance exams, highlighted the potential of memes in the assessment of science exams, and pointed to the need for more comprehensive promotion and investigation. Studies also reveal the potential of memes as tools in a virtual and real-time classroom context to go beyond the level of memorization (Hackathorn et al, 2011, Erdoğdu & Çakıroğlu, 2021). However, a detailed evaluation of their impact on educational outcomes and proper guidelines is required (Brown, 2020, Sidekerskiene, 2023).

Moreover, it’s important to maintain a balance, as excessive humour or irrelevance to the learning context may distract students from the learning material and lead to a focus on entertainment rather than learning (Hellman, 2007). The focus should be to achieve the intended learning outcomes along with creating a positive learning environment (Wanzer, 2010). Teachers should also consider some important ethical factors, including being sensitive to offensive content, avoiding cultural appropriation, copyright infringement, and being aware of potential risks like misinterpretation (Jha et al., 2024; Sidekerskiene, 2023). And thereby, ensure that they promote respectful and responsible use of this medium.

For me, using memes in the science classroom wasn’t just about entertainment, it was about igniting curiosity, sparking engagement, and making science a lot more fun.

References

• Bakar, F., & Kumar, V. (2019). The use of humour in teaching and learning in higher education classrooms: Lecturers’ perspectives. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 40, 15-25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2019.04.006
• Brown, J. D. (2020). What Do You Meme, Professor? An Experiment Using “Memes” in Pharmacy Education. Pharmacy, 8(4), 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy8040202
• Dongqiang, X., De Serio, L., Malakhov, A., & Matys, O. (2020). Memes and education: Opportunities, approaches and perspectives. Geopolitical, Social Security and Freedom Journal, 3(2), 14-25. https://doi.org/10.2478/gssfj-2020-0009
• Erdoğdu, F., & Çakıroğlu, Ü. (2021). The educational power of humor on student engagement in online learning environments. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 16(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-021-00158-8
• Hackathorn, J., Garczynski, A. M., Blankmeyer, K., Tennial, R. D., & Solomon, E. D. (n.d.). All kidding aside: Humor increases learning at knowledge and comprehension levels. A. M., 11(4).
• Hellman, S. V. (2007). Humor in the Classroom: STU’S Seven Simple Steps to Success. College Teaching, 55(1), 37-39. https://doi.org/10.3200/CTCH.55.1.37-39
• Jha, P., Maity, K., Jain, R., Verma, A., Saha, S., & Bhattacharyya, P. (2024). Meme-ingful Analysis: Enhanced Understanding of Cyberbullying in Memes Through Multimodal Explanations (arXiv:2401.09899). arXiv. http://arxiv.org/abs/2401.09899
• Lopes, J. A., & Leite, B. S. (2024). MEMES IN NATURAL SCIENCE TESTS. EducaçãoEmRevista, 40, e44444. https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-469844444t
• Smith, F. A. (2007). The Pirate-Teacher. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 33(2), 276-288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2007.02.002
• Tu, K., Sun, A., & Levin, D. M. (2023). Using memes to promote student engagement and classroom community during remote learning. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 51(2), 202-205. https://doi.org/10.1002/bmb.21700
• Wanzer, M. B., Frymier, A. B., & Irwin, J. (2010). An Explanation of the Relationship between Instructor Humor and Student Learning: Instructional Humor Processing Theory. Communication Education, 59(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520903367238

The author is a physics teacher and a student of MA in Education and Technology at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Believing firmly that “to teach is to touch the future”, Jayanth finds his purpose and passion in teaching. He is also a member of the Young People’s Action Team, YuWaah at UNICEF India. He can be reached atjayanthnv@gmail.com.