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Comedy Central: Humor in Library Instruction: 

Comedy Central: Humor in Library Instruction Billie E. Walker Penn State – Berks Reference Librarian

KEEP IT REAL: 

KEEP IT REAL

Humor in the classroom is a twentieth century phenomenon (Wandersee, 1982): 

Humor in the classroom is a twentieth century phenomenon (Wandersee, 1982)

Benefits of Humor to Learners: 

Benefits of Humor to Learners Retention of Material Student-teacher Rapport Attentiveness and Interest Motivation towards and Satisfaction with Learning

Benefits of Humor to Learners: 

Benefits of Humor to Learners Playfulness and Positive Attitude Class Discussion Academic Stress Anxiety toward Subject Matter (Korobkin, 1988)

Fun Mood: 

Fun Mood An instructor who actively shares in the humor helps to cultivate freer interaction, idea generation and group cohesiveness while reducing social anxiety, conformity, and dogmatism. (Ziv, 1976)

Why Use Humor in the Classroom?: 

Why Use Humor in the Classroom? Two important reasons: Librarian-Student Connection Engages Student in the Learning Process

The planned use of humor can spark student recall long after the lesson is over.(Kaplan & Pascoe, 1977): 

The planned use of humor can spark student recall long after the lesson is over. (Kaplan & Pascoe, 1977)

Laughter is the Best Medicine : 

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Library Anxiety: 

Library Anxiety Library anxiety can be described as “an uncomfortable feeling or disposition experienced in a library situation” (Jiao, Onwuegbuzie & Lichtenstein, 1996)

Library anxiety : 

Library anxiety Relative size of the library Lack of knowledge about the location of materials, equipment, and resources of the library How to initiate library research How to proceed with a library search (Mellon, 1986).

Library anxiety: 

Library anxiety Students often perceive that they are the only ones who do not know how to use the library and who lack library skills. High-anxious students feel that other students are adept at using the library, while they alone are inept. (Mellon, 1986)

Inappropriate humor in the Classroom: 

Inappropriate humor in the Classroom Ethnic Racist Sexist Religious Insult or sarcasm

Slide14: 

Any word, object, or action that violates a person’s values, moral principles, or norms of behavior would be offensive (Veatch, 1998).

Culture-Free Humor: 

Culture-Free Humor Student Life Types of Courses Technology problems, especially PCs Mega-hit Movies Pets Food

Factors That Can Affect Laughter in the Classroom: 

Factors That Can Affect Laughter in the Classroom Physical Arrangements “Sardine-Can Theory of Laughter” Class Size Classroom Atmosphere Gender

Creating Magic in the Classroom: 

Creating Magic in the Classroom

Humor as a tool for library instruction is not for everyone : 

Humor as a tool for library instruction is not for everyone

Cultivating One’s Sense of Humor: 

Cultivating One’s Sense of Humor Be Natural Self-Confidence Laughs at the trails and trivialities of life Presentation Skills Audience Needs Be Spontaneous

How Do You Learn to Be Funny?: 

How Do You Learn to Be Funny? Selectionist Approach Frequency and Sensitivity Classroom Application

Selectionist Approach: 

Selectionist Approach Generate a large pool of jokes Practice them Test them out Fine tune them Select the best ones Get a job at a comedy club Leave academia Star in your own sitcom Become rich and famous

Frequency and Sensitivity : 

Frequency and Sensitivity Two variables are critical to learning this process: Joking frequency Sensitivity to social responses

Classroom Application: 

Classroom Application Props Anecdotes Personal Experiences Cartoons Humorous Questions and Examples Music

Assessment : 

Assessment The simplest and most feasible approach to obtaining feedback is to ask your students directly. (Berk, 2002)

Scale Construction: 

Scale Construction Does humor help to improve the students ability to learn the subject matter? Does humor help to grab the students attention, increase their interest, reduce anxiety/stress, and make class fun? Suggestions

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTIVE LEARNING: 

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTIVE LEARNING Are you a performer? Lecture from a script, notes or memory Demonstrate concepts with props Manipulate your voice (volume, pitch) Inject humor Add music

Billie’s Examples: 

Billie’s Examples One-liners Web Deception Self-Deprecatiion Wacky but True Music

Comedy Central: Humor in Library Instruction: 

Comedy Central: Humor in Library Instruction Conclusion Humor is not a substitute for teaching, but when used properly it can be a powerful and delightful tool for library instruction. Not every example needs to be funny. Try to strike a balance.

Bibliography: 

Bibliography Berk, R.A. (2002). Humor as an instructional defibrillator. Stylus Publishing. Kaplan, R.M. & Pascoe, G.C. (1977). Humorous lectures and humorous examples: Some effects upon comprehension and retention. Journal of Educational Psychology. 69:61-65. Korobkin, D. (1988). Humor in the classroom: Considerations and Strategies. College Teaching. 36:154-158.

Bibliography: 

Bibliography Mellon, C.A. (1986). Library anxiety: A grounded theory and its development. College and Research Libraries. 47:160-165. Wandersee, J.H. (1982). Humor as a teaching strategy. The American Biology Teacher. 44:212-218. Veatch, T.C. (1998). A theory of humor. HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research. 11:161-215. Ziv, A. (1976). Facilitating effects of humor on creativity. Journal of Educational Psychology. 68:318-322.

Comedy Central: Humor in Library Instruction: 

Comedy Central: Humor in Library Instruction Contact Info: Billie E. Walker Penn State – Berks Reference Librarian bew11@psu.edu