edu526 week 8 discussion

PRACTITIONER PERSPECTIVE

Techniques to Bring Humor

and Create a Pleasant

Learning Environment in Adult ESL

Classrooms

“Include humor and create a pleasant learning atmosphere in the classroom to make learners feel relaxed and safe.”

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1 V ■

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* s as According to the U.S. D epartm ent of Education (2004), more than 40% of approximately three million learners in the federally-funded adult education programs are in the area o f English as a second language (ESL). These learners, the m ajority of whom are immigrants and refugees, represent a huge diversity o f cultural backgrounds and nationalities yet face com m on learning challenges that traditional young learners may not (Bernat, 2004). In her study, Bernat observed that when adults come to their class, they bring with them tension, anxiety, personal problems such as responsibilities for an extended family, lack of job and personal support system provided by their relatives and friends. An ESL adult teacher expressed that because many o f her students work from 4:00 p.m. until m idnight or later, they arrive at school tired (Starr, 2001). Thus, what can be done to help ESL adult learners overcome these challenges and get involved in their classrooms?

O ur teaching practice indicated that one answer to this question is to include hum or and create a pleasant learning atmosphere in the classroom to make the learners feel relaxed and safe. In fact, the value of hum or in education has long been recognized (Minchew & Hopper,

44 Journal of Research and Practice for Adult Literacy, Secondary, and Basic Education • Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 2012

Techniques to Bring Humor and Create a Pleasant Learning Environment in Adult ESL Classrooms

2008). According to psychoanalytic theory, introduced by Spencer (as cited in McGhee, 1983b), all people have certain areas which they find uncomfortable, fearful, and embarrassing, and hum or is an effective way o f releasing nervous and built-up tension. This is especially true of adult ESL learners, who come to class with not only books and pens but also daily worries and qualms of losing face. Ruggieri (1999) stated that hum or can motivate learners and improve their comprehension. It can also help in long­ term retention of inform ation and in making the learning experience m ore enjoyable for adult learners (Coleman, 1992). Although there has been no empirical study to validate the exact effect of hum or and a pleasant learning atmosphere on relieving ESL adult learners’ tension and anxiety, our practical teaching experiences confirm that blending hum or and creating an amusing feeling in the classroom in a variety of ways can really make a trem endous difference. Following are some practice-confirmed techniques that we successfully applied into our ESL classroom with 12 adult learners from different countries. Evidence on their effectiveness is reflected in the full retention of learners during the 17-week course and their satisfaction after the course.

LET LEARNERS TALK ABOUT THEIR CULTURE WITH THE

TEACHER’S TECHNICAL SUPPORT O ur experience showed that, when exposed to their familiar culture or background, learners will be inspired to proudly share their understanding and experience with other learners in the class. O ur class had 12 learners from seven different countries. Being aware of these ethnic and cultural diversities, we created a series of topics such as cuisine, education, folk tradition, tourism, and

national week such as Korean week, Colombia Week, etc. Each learner selected at least one topic to present in the class; we aided in the search for research material, such as images and video clips from the Internet, and we assisted with the design of PowerPoint slideshows. O ur concern was that adult learners may not want to join the activity, but they were so excited to participate. Each learner registered for more than two presentations, and it was fascinating that almost all the presentations ran out of time and ended with laughter because funny differences in cultural concepts were introduced.

Another tip for making the lesson interesting is to replace tedious sentences with hilarious ones in context since hum or can motivate learners and improve their comprehension. Moreover, Hill (2010) stated that the use of language in context would lead to purposeful talk and allow for the development of vocabulary. For instance, instead of making a sentence with the word “celebrity” in a very pro forma way such as, “A celebrity is someone who is famous, especially in the entertainm ent business,” we can make it funny by quoting Fred Allen: “A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized” (as cited in Krieger, 2001).

BREAK CLASSROOM CONVENTIONS Sometimes changing the day-in and day-out practices associated with classrooms, which adult learners get used to, can help create an effective and hilarious adult learning environment. For example, the teacher may organize a potluck party every m onth or snacks during class breaks when everybody can participate in daily conversations in a truly authentic manner. Varying teaching m ethods can also help inspire learners. One day, I turned my classroom into a different setting where learners studied in a soft classical music

Journal o f Research and Practice for Adult Literacy, Secondary, and Basic Education • Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 2012 45

Vu and Vu

background. W hen asked about their feelings, my learners expressed their surprise and interest in this kind of learning experience. These little changes in the way we conduct the classroom can refresh the learning atmosphere after a certain period of learning. Besides, they can create opportunities for interaction and break down barriers between and am ong teachers and learners. One learner told me that these kinds o f activities made her more involved in the class. She spoke English w ithout being aware o f mistakes in those casual conversations, and she learned a lot from them. Moreover, those activities m ade them feel tied to the classroom like a family where they could come to share their feelings and get relief from work and personal affairs.

MAKE USE OF A VARIETY OF ICEBREAKERS AT THE

BEGINNING OF EACH LESSON According to Chlup and Collins (2010), icebreakers are basically short activities, sometimes called getting- to- know-you tricks. They are designed to break down barriers before starting an event. Icebreakers are the best way to help learners get to know each other, especially on the first day of the course. They are also a great way to energize the classroom and get learners motivated at the beginning of each lesson. These activities have another benefit, which is to warm up learners who are already in the classroom and waiting for those who are late. Adult classes often have latecomers, who usually have unexpected incidents to arrange and solve either at work or at hom e before they can come to class. From our experience, this practice is always p art o f adult classes that, as teachers, we have to accept and sympathize with. W hen adult learners come to class late, they tend to be em barrassed and nervous for fear that their tardiness may interfere with the ongoing teaching and learning process.

Icebreakers help them have time to settle down, be relaxed and join the activities before the whole class actually starts the lesson. Cornelius (as cited in Freiberg & Lamb, 2009) observed when learners feel safe, they are more apt to dem onstrate creativity and intellectual curiosity. In the following, we share some o f the successful activities we used as icebreakers at the beginning of each lesson to warm up the learning atmosphere and to wait for latecomers before we started our m ain lesson.

N om ination of the m ost hilarious video clips: At the beginning of the lesson, learners are divided into small groups of three to five and watch a couple of funny video clips on the same theme. After watching them, they will discuss in groups in order to nom inate the best video and to then compare their result with other groups’ opinions. This activity helps learners practice listening and speaking skills very effectively.

Story matching: The teacher prepares a couple of funny stories, splits all of them in half, and mixes them up. Learners are told to work in small groups and find the other half o f the reading to have a complete meaningful story.

CONCLUSION In spite of valid evidence of the benefits of hum or to education, it is still argued that the responsibility of the teacher is to teach not to entertain (Minchew & Hopper, 2008). However, since we began using these techniques in our classrooms, our learners have always called us teachers with high respect, not entertainers. These techniques are not used by entertainers on stage to make people laugh, but they are ways to inspire learners. These techniques do not necessarily make learners burst into laughter, but they can make them feel relaxed, safe, and connected to concentrate on their studies. Finally, if a teacher ever thinks that his or her duty

46 Journal of Research and Practice for Adult Literacy, Secondary, and Basic Education • Volume 1, Number 1, Spring 2012

Techniques to Bring Humor and Create a Pleasant Learning Environment in Adult ESL Classrooms

Story Matching

Then his father realized they were only five blocks from home. Much annoyed, the father asked his son why he led him around in such a circle. "That’s the way the school bus goes, Daddy,” the child explained. “It’s the only way I know.”

Five minutes later the boy called back down to his dad saying "Can I have another glass of water?” His dad said, “NO, and if you ask me one more time I’m going to come up there and spank you.”Five minutes later the boy called down, "On your way up to spank me, can you bring me a glass of water?

is only to teach, he or she should read this quote by Ward (as cited in Hadzigeorgiou, 2005): “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” However, it is also imperative that jokes and examples of hum or should be selected carefully to avoid gender or ethnic stereotypes or biases. ESL adult learners usually come from different cultures and have different backgrounds. The selection of any kind of hum or should take into account these differences so that hum or is for every learner and not at the expense

A boy was in trouble so he had to go to bed early. He got in bed and asked his dad for a glass of water, so his dad brought him a glass. Five minutes later the boy called down to his dad, "Can I have another glass of water?” So, his dad brought him up one.

The new family in the neighborhood overslept and their eight-year-old son missed his school bus. His father had to drive him to school. Since the father did not know the way, he told his son to direct him to the school. They rode several blocks before he told him to turn left, several more before he indicated a right turn. This went on for 20 minutes— left, right, right, left— but they finally reached the school.

of any individual or group. Teachers should always be cautious about hum or that alienates or offends learners and strive to construct a learning-friendly environm ent for all. O ur ground rules of hum or selection in our class are: 1) Know your learners, 2) Make it simple and short, and 3) Be universal. Finally, we believe that before a teacher can make his or her learners smile and feel relaxed, he or she should smile and feel relaxed first. Smiling is infectious and has a dom ino effect of joy and amusement. W hen a smile is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy.

REFERENCES

Bernat, A. (2004). Attending to Adult Learners: Affective Domain in the ESL Classroom. Humanizing Language Teaching, 4. Retrieved from http:// w w w . n l t m a g . c o . u k / s e p t 0 4 / m a r t 2 . h t m # t o p

Chlup, T. D„ & Collins, E.T. (2010). Breaking the ice: Using ice- breakers and re-energizers with adult learners. Adult Learning, 21(3), 34-39.

Coleman, J. G. (1992). All seriousness aside: The laughing-learning connection. International Journal o f Instructional Media, 19(3), 269-276.

Freiberg, H. J„ & Lamb, M. S. (2009). Dimensions of person-centered classroom management. Theory Into Practice, 48, 99-105.

Hadzigeorgiou, Y. (2005). Romantic understanding and science education. Teaching Education, 16(1) 23-32.

Hill, S. (2010). Oral language play and learning. Practically Primary, 15(2), 4-12.

Krieger, R. A. (2001). Civilizations quotations:

Life’s ideal. New York: Algora. McGhee, R E. (1983b). The role of arousal and hemispheric

lateralization in humor. In P.E. McGhee & J.H. Goldstein (Eds.), Handbook o f humor research (pp. 109-134). New York: Springer-Verlag.

Minchew, S. S„ & Hopper, F. P. (2008). Techniques for using hum or and fun in the language arts classroom. Clearing House: A Journal o f Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 81(5), 232-236.

Ruggieri, C. A. (1999). Laugh and learn: Using hum or to teach tragedy. The English Journal, 88(4): 53-59.

Starr, L. (2001). ESL lessons for adult students. Education World, 2. Retrieved from http://www. educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/technology.shtml

U.S. Department of Education. (2004). Career, technical, and adult education. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/about/ overview/budget/budget08/justifications/m-careered.pdf

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