The role of the teacher's personality can be placed amongst many factors that play a role in learning English as a second/foreign language. A teacher with a humorous character inevitably aids in reducing any potential fear that may be experienced by students in relation to the learning of a second language in the classroom (Bell, 2009; Chee,…

Recent efforts to define qualities of effective teaching practice have done little to capture the role of play, imagination, and creativity in classroom teaching. Drawing on theories of play and data from a two-year case study that included classroom observations, interviews, artifact collection, and surveys, the author examines the ways in which…

Humor has not always been looked on with favor in academia. For centuries, the "ideal" professor was a paragon of serious academic pursuit with no time for frivolous commentary. There was nothing funny about the rigors of learning. However, a growing body of literature is emerging that documents the potential positive effects of the systematic and…

This case study examines a U.S. History class where a veteran teacher uses challenging primary source documents and a debate to encourage his students to think critically about history. The teacher is knowledgeable about the subject matter and articulates a clear purpose for teaching. Surprisingly, the author finds that the teacher's methods,…

Background/Context: Despite the importance of students' active engagement for learning, little is known about how teachers create environments that are supportive of students' positive motivational and learning-related beliefs, particularly at the high school level. Furthermore, most of the studies that have described teacher practices in relation…

Learning and laughter go hand in hand. Teachers certainly do not need to be stand-up comedians and spew out one-liners or dress up like clowns to make their classes fun. A little comedy can bring a lot of joy and learning opportunities to the classroom. In this article, the author shares several strategies on how teachers can put in laughter into…

Explains how humor not merely creates a comfortable classroom environment, but also a sense of community, which empowers students as writers. Notes that once empowered in this way, students are free to express themselves in writing and discussion without holding back. Concludes that with humor, teachers can let go of carefully crafted lesson plans…

As a teacher of 11-to 13-year-olds, the author sees that her role definitely requires a sense of humor. A charismatic personality and the ability to lighten things up go a long way toward an enjoyable relationship with this age group. For Michelle Willard, a certain amount of levity in dealing with typical developmental issues is the key to…

Effective marketing instructors commonly share a love for their students, an affinity for the subject matter, and a devotion to continuous quality improvement. The purpose of this article is to highlight 10 anchor points for teaching Principles of Marketing, which are designed to better engage students in the learning process. These anchor…

Given the important role of the affective variables in the process of learning, this paper examines ways of overcoming negative effects (i.e. anxiety, boredom) of the contextual factors. Exemplifying the uses of humor through context-specific, purpose-driven jokes, it maintains that humor can be utilized to produce a resourceful, encouraging and…