Humor activates our sense of wonder, which is where learning begins. Then, why does humor get a cold shoulder in education? Mounting research continues to support that integrating positive humor into education improves learning outcomes in pretty powerful ways. For the love of whimsy! - let's get to the bottom of this! In this episode, humor and education aficionado Suzi Mazzenga chats with Stacy Craft about the art of making learners laugh - exploring everything from why laughter works, tips for getting started, to an interesting story about a tap dancing science teacher with a message.
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Additional Resources-
Readings and Journals
Laughter and Learning: Humor Boosts Retention
Liu YP, Sun L, Wu XF, et al. Use of humour in medical education: a survey of students and teachers at a medical school in China. BMJ Open. 2017;7(11):e018853. Published 2017 Nov 28. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018853
Hackathorn, J., Garczynski, A. M., Blankmeyer, K., Tennial, R. D., & Solomon, E. D. (2011). All Kidding Aside: Humor Increases Learning at Knowledge and Comprehension Levels. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 11(4), 116-123.
Videos
How to use humor in your academic or scientific presentation