Episode 30: Break Up Your Lectures with Humor: The Role of Humor and Laughter in the Classroom with Dr. Michael Cundall, Jr.
Description:
Our guest for episode 30 of the Lecture Breakers podcast is Dr. Mike Cundall. He’s a professor at North Carolina A&T and his area of expertise is humor. In this episode, we talk about why humor is important and how to use it to increase engagement, connect with students, and even as a way to assess students' learning.
We talk about how to use humor in both in-person and online learning environments. Mike shares how you can use memes, comics, and emojis to create informal, playful spaces in your course where humor is appropriate, anticipated, and appreciated.
I think now, more than ever, we are all seeking a little break or some relief from everything happening in the world. I can’t think of a better time to talk about humor so we can share it with our students and colleagues in an effort to make connections during a time when we all feel a little disconnected. I hope you enjoy this episode!
What you'll learn in this episode:
- What to do (and not do) when using humor to break up your lecture.
- How to use memes as a way to increase engagement, connect with students, and assess students' learning.
- Strategies to integrate humor into your in-person and online classes.
- How to set up informal, relaxing, playful spaces in your course where humor is appreciated and expected.
- How to use humor with students you just met (such as on the first day of class).
Show Notes:
- Connect with Mike's business websites: Mirth Management and Facebook page.
- Read Mike's article in The Teaching Professor newsletter: Humor, Learning, and Memes.
- Get Mike's online seminar from Magna Publications focused on Using Humor to Engage Students in the Classroom.
- Learn more about eustress.
- Learn more about Selye's research on eustress.
- Share Ph.D. Comics with your graduate students.
- Learn more about Dr. Dacher Keltner's research on humor.
- Read Mike's blog post about Humor After the Curve: Post-Pandemic Humor
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Connect with Mike on Instagram @mirthprofessor
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Connect with Mike on LinkedIn
- Connect with Mike at NC A&T
- Join the free Lecture Breakers Facebook group
- Don't miss an episode! Be sure to subscribe to the show!
Transcript:
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