Examines why scientific humor is produced and what functions it serves. Discusses the case of James V. McConnell and his journal "The Worm-Runner's Digest," which published serious scientific articles in the empiricist repertoire and more whimsical materials in the contingent repertoire. (RS)

Adventure therapy infuses experiential, physical activity into traditional talk therapy, drawing support from Piaget's theory that children construct knowledge from their actions on the environment. Several vignettes illustrate the point, noting the importance of laughter and physical touch to therapy. Using ropes for a "touch without…

An experience on teaching a drama class and staging performances with available resources is described. Some of the more challenging circumstances are highlighted and it is demonstrated that a sense of humor and community support is needed for the show to go on.

This article describes work undertaken with a class of Scottish Primary Six children (aged 10) that encouraged them to write humorous stories. It reflects on the impact of different teaching approaches, in particular exploring how teacher-led input combined with opportunities for peer talk might serve to influence children's writing. The aims were…

The Toulmin model of argument was introduced in 1958 by British philosopher Stephen Toulmin in "The Uses of Argument" and adapted by compositionists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Consisting of six parts--claim, support, warrant, backing, rebuttal, and qualifiers--the model provides a means for composition students "to describe the process by…

The purpose of this study was to develop a laboratory analogue for the study of peer sexual harassment, and to examine person and situational factors associated with male on female peer sexual harassment. One hundred twenty-two male participants were given the opportunity to tell jokes to a female confederate from a joke list that included…

A professor of the old school invents the scenario of an avowed educational mediocrity that must defend its reputation for expecting the very least from its students and faculty. His fictional Damp State University cherishes its position on the lowest tier of "U.S. News & World Report's" rankings. Professor Reeves gives us a bitter…

For most teachers, more important than supplies and a spacious classroom is a happy learning environment in which each child feels welcome and safe. That is why it is so dismaying that according to one recent study, 43% of students worry about going to the restroom for fear of encountering a bully. The same study reported that a child is bullied…

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…

Friendly humor shows children that adults can be understanding and gracious; that the teacher is working with them and not against them; that the child as well as the teacher has a valued place in the classroom community. In this article, the author cites the benefits of using humor in a classroom environment. The author also provides tips on how…

This essay briefly explores reflections of Anna Julia Cooper concerning the meaning and significance of moments within educational settings when the conditions for laughter and language break down. The author suggests that what she presented as moments of social and political failure have become the aims of contemporary, rigid nonpromotion public…

Using daily diary methodology, 67 Mexican American adolescents completed measures assessing daily stressors experienced, specific coping strategies employed with reference to these stressors, and indices of psychological health over 5 consecutive days. With respect to coping usage, adolescents reported they most often used planning and least often…

For decades, feminist teachers have been working in a chilly political climate. Rightwing critics claim that women's studies programs suffer from "insularity and narrowness, ideological bias, and a tendency toward misinformation." In the mainstream media, feminism is both vilified and trivialized. It's no wonder that many students doubt that…

This paper offers a humorous parable showing the trials and problems facing a chief lawyer for an institution of higher education. The lawyer, who happens to be a pit bull, faces such issues as deciding whether to take this new position at the university, his orientation to the university setting, his experience dealing with the workload and lack…

Virginia Woolf's "Orlando" is an excellent example of mock biography to use in literature classes concerned with analyzing literary genres. Woolf used humor to undermine some conventions of the genre of biography and to reform biography into a shape adequate to express the life of Vita Sackville-West. An ordinary biography most likely…