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The use of jokes
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Thu, 03/26/2009 - 17:38
Hi all,
Jokes are indeed good means through which we can bring humour into our class. My question is have you ever taught your students any jokes? If yes, then at which stage from your teaching do you use them?
Thanks.
Rachid
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 09:33
#2
Hi Graciana,
Thanks for hastening to reply to this new topic I deem it also of paramount importance to EFL teaching. Jokes are the fountainhead of humour and if there is humour in one's class, then there is an anxiety free atmosphere and hence much learning is going to take place. The more amusing and the more hilarious the classroom is, the more motivated the students are.
How do you proceed in using jokes in a way which is more than just reading the joke with the class? Sometimes I think it would be nice to extend it with some sort of communicative activity based on the joke. What do you think Graciana?
I'm much certain that if the teacher is in a good temperament, then s/he manages to get his / her students attention turned easily. As for the stage, I think jokes can be used as warm ups or within the lesson while shifting from one activity to another. Jokes can create a smooth transition, do you agree?
Here are a few samples for you to laugh too. Hope you will enjoy them!
1-"Where was the Declaration of Independence signed..?" asked the teacher. "Please, Miss. ..." went up a child's hand, "It was signed at the bottom."
2-"Give me a name of an animal" said the teacher. "Donkey" answered a student. She asked another: "Give me another name..." The other replied: "Another donkey."
3-Having rapped the pupils for some graffiti on the blackboard, the school teacher proceeded to teach about Shakespeare and then, in the course of testing the class, asked one of the pupils: "Who wrote 'Romeo and Juliet'..?" The pupil, miles away, responded, "It wasn't me, Miss., I didn't, honest!.."
4-The religious education teacher told the young pupils about Heaven, and asked who wanted to go there; "I'd like to, Miss.," said one of the pupils, "but mum said I must come straight home after school..."
This link can be helpful too. Please have a look: http://www.esljokes.net/jokes.htm
Best regards,
Rachid
Fri, 03/27/2009 - 13:21
#3
Hi Graciana & All
I know how you feel about it - I'm absolutely helpless telling jokes!
I particularly appreciate a more subtle sort of humour - dead-pan humour for me it the best of them all - absolutely delightul. This makes me think how difficult using jokes in ELT can be. As you said, there are so many cultural differences that I think teachers have to be extremely sensitive, sensible and careful using jokes in the classroom especially when it involves beliefs, religion, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.
I admit that I don't use jokes as the examples Rachid gives above. I prefer to let humour emerge from the classroom situations and the students themselves.
What do other teachers around the world think about it??
Cheers - Chris
Hi Rachid,
I LOVE jokes, but feel very silly telling them myself, so I tend to use recorded ones- or written cartoons or jokes.
They are an interesting tool to show cultural differences and different types of "humour" according to nationalities around the world.
Another useful resource for teachers!