The appropriate use of humor is a powerful tool that can help adult educators positively affect changes in people's knowledge, attitudes, skills, and aspirations and the didactic process. (JOW)

Provides tips for integrating appropriate humor in teaching and when not to use humor. (SK)

Interview with Asian-American comedian provides insightful commentary about his career choice. Notes his belief that comedy stage is useful position to comment on stereotypes inherent to U.S. culture. Asserts that comedians must challenge audience to think about the joke not only as amusement, but to examine other implications involved. (Author/NB)

Describes several ways to solicit humorous contributions for the high school literary magazine. (SR)

Focuses on the dangers inherent in the "bureaucratic" mindset that can eliminate the bases for constructive argument. Claims a dramatistic perspective on argument counters this danger and aids in the alteration of frames of reference, simultaneously combating the bureaucratic mindset and increasing the chance for constructive change in…

Examines the use of humor in library instruction, highlighting sources of humor (self, others, everyday life, unpleasant situations, travel), putting humor into practice, early demonstration of classroom humor, and pitfalls (demeaning and forgetting the audience). (PEN)

Finds that a high, rather than a low, sense of humor facilitated the reduction of uncertainty and also served to reduce social distance between interactants. Supports the facilitative nature of humor in the development of interpersonal relations. (SR)

Ways that trainers use humor to diffuse stress and stimulate creativity are described. Discuses how humor engages people, allows failure, and overcomes defenses and resistance. (SK)

This paper examines the type of creativity involved in the humorous exchanges that pervade an online discussion board where all interaction and relationships between participants are textually co-constructed. Taking a view of creativity as context-dependent, it considers how participants exploit the particular features of an online environment in…

The humor response has long been considered mysterious, and it is given relatively little attention in modern experimental psychology, in spite of the fact that numerous studies suggest that it has substantial benefits for mood and health. Existing theories of humor fail to account for some of the most basic humor phenomena. On most occasions when…

The structure of the teaching profession leaves teachers professionally and personally isolated from other adults. This article will discuss the results of an ethnography focused on the rare informal social interaction that occurs among teachers in a United States' school, with a particular focus on the lunch hour. Specifically, this article…

The effects of a school nursing service on health complaints and mood were investigated in a Norwegian high school. The school nursing service was delivered to students in 1 high school, and students in a comparable high school served as the comparison group. There were 41 students in the treatment group and 63 in the comparison group. All…

This study examined how parents and adolescents talk about sex with each other and how that influences their anxiety and avoidance tendencies. When parents were receptive, informal, and composed during the conversations, their adolescents were less anxious and, in turn, were less avoidant. The child's perception of the parent's communication…

This study explores what classroom behaviors and activities in the basic speech course contribute to student connectedness. The results indicate that student encouragement, humor, honesty, interactive exercises and individual speeches, can help student bonding and motivation, and impacts their overall college experience.

The universities and faculties which educate teachers of mathematics for teaching pupils/students of any age group from pre-school age to higher education carefully monitor and compare valuable results of this research, detect the areas in which the mathematical achievements of pupils should be improved at the national level and propose the ways…