In the summer of 1950, teenagers Elvira Businelli and Delfina Tomassini embarked upon a teacher training course at the Italian university for foreigners, in Perugia, Italy--taught by Maria Montessori. Kn 2020, Elvira and Delfina, now in their 80s, spoke with Montessori Life in the interview presented in this article about their recollections of…

There is a line in Saint-Exupery's "The Little Prince" that applies to any endeavor, but especially teaching. It reads: "That which is essential cannot be seen with the eye. Only with the heart can one know it rightly." The essence of teaching is difficult to qualify, but that line leads directly into the author's most essential criterion. In this…

Four doctoral students and their professor contemplate the value of play in their high school and college classrooms. They discuss their experiences teaching children's books, student illustrations, and excerpts from magazines and newspapers that convey the intricacies of the English language through homonyms, homophones, homographs, and polysemy.…

This book presents a collection of cartoons that focus on the lighter side of teaching. In a tongue-in-cheek introduction, the book asserts that one achievable goal which should have been included in the 1994 Educate America Act is that all teachers will start each school day by reading one funny cartoon and having a good chuckle before they go to…

Presents ideas to counteract teacher burnout and sagging teacher morale based on the attitudes of characters in the television show M*A*S*H. (CM)

This article explores the use of ironic performance in education, particularly around issues of human rights. I examine my own efforts to engage audiences with the history of domestic espionage and sabotage by the intelligence agencies of the United States. This is a history well known to some marginalized counterpublics (see Fraser, 1997), but…

A sarcastic essay outlines ways in which the college faculty member can avoid carrying out committee service responsibly. (MSE)

By distinguishing between students' creative and hostile clowning behavior, a teacher can reduce classroom disruption and enhance social interaction. (JD)

Indicates some of the pitfalls of using humor in the high school English classroom. Notes the need for striking a balance between serious and humorous classroom discussion. (RL)

An active sense of humor is a vital but often neglected resource in teaching methods as well as in everyday life. (LH)

Four teachers at Fort Lewis College, Colorado, use humor to send messages which "leap frog" resistance to the new and different, and go directly to the preconscious. The power in these humorous conceptual leaps is that the entering information sticks to the anger and passions of the human psyche, thus fostering retention. Linda Mack, a…

The importance of laughter and humor to enhance education, and special education in particular, is addressed. A sense of humor is an attitude, and humor together with enthusiasm helps students enjoy the learning process. Humor can make students become more alert, and can have very positive influences on affect. A funny remark, a pleasant…

Role playing differs from the more static teaching technique of simulation in its incorporation of originality and theatricality. From preparation to presentation, it is important to retain the element of play, avoid techniques of or tendencies toward psychodrama, and hold the pedagogical or evaluative purposes in mind. (MSE)

Recounts what happened when a night school teacher thought creativity meant Joyce, Porter, and Frost, while the students thought it meant cocktail napkins, cereal boxes, and sexy stories. (RL)

Relates personal experiences and applies Freud's theory of humor to explain why teachers should not treat the study of comedy too seriously in the English classroom. (RL)