In 2015, Segrist and Hupp collated 40 years-worth of research on the use of humor in the classroom in a paper and annotated bibliography. Most of the research lauds the benefits for using humor appropriately in the classroom, including an increase in learning, self-motivation, class attendance, interest in learning, a bond between students and faculty, and “the creation of a positive social and emotional learning environment” (para. 2, Appleby, 2018).
Appleby (2018) gives us some actionable do’s and don’ts to keep humor appropriate. As one of your goals as an effective teacher should be to create an inclusive learning community, any humor that threatens that should be fiercely avoided, including targeting a specific student or minority groups, or is otherwise disturbing or inappropriate in a university setting or in your particular field of study. Irrelevant humor detracts, as does difficult to “get” humor, and awkward or embarrassing delivery. Appropriate humor brings the group together, like positive inside jokes, or attracts students to the subject matter.
Appleby (2018) recommends being aware of how your humor is being received, i.e., if students all laugh and don’t seem puzzled, or if they are angry, offended, or roll their eyes (2018). Though, Appleby notes the possibility of the Dunning-Kruger Effect – that you might not be as funny as you think, and maybe should stick to using other’s humor, such as appropriate cartoons.
