SS SESE SP BREE SAAD TM PT a a SE TE Teaching—What a Joke! Maintaining a Sense of Humor in the Learning Process ® People who display a sense of humor arc healthier, more fun to be around, and live longer than those who do not. It is casy for an educator caught up in the seriousness of the job to accidentally create a humorless environment. Many of us believe that a humorless environment is a humanless environment. Smiling or laughing, especially at one’s own folly, is a uniquely human characteristic. | propose that not only can learning be more fun with the use of humor, but that learning is actually enhanced. Encouraging students to display their sense of humor is important. Humor, being creative in nature, tends to be left-brained—whereas much subject matter, especially in business, mathematics, and science, tends to be right-brained. Research has shown that learning is enhanced when left- and right-brained activities are co-mingled. It appears that what one jokes about, one tends to remember! For example, students should be encouraged to tell funny stories that are related to the subject at hand. l only know two jokes about accounting —a particu- larly humorless discipline. One is that in determining, the value to place on your inventory, you may use the LIFO (last-in first-out method), FIFO (first-in, first-out method) or FISH (first-in still-there method). Buyers may not particularly like this joke! The other is about the accountant who looked in his bottom drawer a half dozen times a day for 25 years. After he retired his tcllow employees rushed to the drawer, which he always kept locked, curiously waiting to see what he looked at so frequently. They got the key, opened the drawer, and on the bottom of the empty drawer was taped a sign which read “Debits left, Credits right.” This joke should be told at an appropriate time. Students who have been introduced to basic debit/ credit theory and are struggling with the concept of the meaning of the words will benefit from this joke and will probably always remember “debit left, credit right.” It is important to make it all right to make a mis- take—to have little failures—in a classroom setting. If students can feel comfortable laughing at their own shortcomings, the whole atmosphere can improve. A friendly smile and an atmosphere where a student can “simply try again” is an improvement over a punitive environment based on fear or threats. Why we continue to struggle to teach and students continue to struggle to learn is a question we ask ourselves from time to time. It reminds me of the joke about the guy who went to the psychiatrist and said that he had a brother who thinks he is a chicken. The psychiatrist said to bring him in right away. The guy said, “Well, | would, but we need the eges.” Speaking of eggs, did you hear about the chicken who.... Jerry W. Lancio, Chairman, Applied Business For further information, contact the author at Daytona Beach Community College, Box 1111, Daytona Beach, FL 32015. Suanne D. Roueche, Editor ee aera Lacan September 29, 1989, Vol. XI, No. 21 Tre University of Texas at Austin, 1989 einer dup ication is permitted by MEMBER situtons for tneir own personnel 12 a 3 INNOVATION ABSTRACTS ts a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), EDB 348, The University of Toxas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (512) 471.7545. Subscriptions are available to nonconsor tum members for $40 per year. Funding in part by the WK Kellogg Foundation and the Sid W. Richardson Foundaton Issued weekly when classes are in session during fall and spring terms and once during the summer. ISSN 0199-106X.