Using humour in the Adult ESL classroom - random thoughts at greeeeeeaaaat length - sorry!

I eat, sleep, drink, live and love with humour - never leave home without it - so, of course I teach with humour.

A. In my Adult ESL/LINC classroom I use my own shortcomings (I am short)  to laugh at myself, to set an example for the students, and to minimise the "distance" between teacher and student that they often come with. My goal is to create a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere in the class.  I get feedback like: "She's strict", "She pushes me/us",  but it is tempered with: "I like this class is friendly", "She's fun." I am a notorious ham - and I also like to draw on the board - often with unexpected results. The Olympic torch  "See?" "A carrot?" comes back. Laughter when I show them the real thing.

B. I use movies (including comedies) and sitcoms to introduce the students to popular movies so they will start to understand the references and build up cultural capital.  Sure, it is also for comic relief - but I am very aware that what is considered "funny" in one culture may not be "funny" at all in another.  In the classroom we can discuss why Mr. Bean is sidesplittingly funny to some - but not to others....(and that includes to native born Canadians.) ( btw - Most students love the "Merry Christmas, Mr Bean" episode...)

When I show a movie or a video it is always connected somehow to a theme or topic that we are discussing in class - Family Roles and Responsibilities: Mrs. Doubtfire or "Baggage"  episode from Everyone Loves Raymond; Culture clash: My Big Fat Greek Wedding or (again) Everyone Loves Raymond "Fish or Fowl"; Gender issues: Bend it like Beckham ( shown again during the World Cup!!)
It just occurred to me that most of the movies I show over and over again are comedies

Sometimes I can show a whole movie at one sitting - maybe on a Friday afternoon. However, I always make sure that the students know that they will be expected to follow the movie/episode and answer the questions that are on the worksheet. Sometimes I will show the movie over a few days - "What do you think happens next?"

I don't usually preteach a lot of vocabulary for movies  - but I usually give them a list of the main characters.  Then as the story unfolds I stop at predetermined points and the students "work" on the worksheets, or we discuss the scenes and the relationships together. I often give a synopsis so the students get an idea of what is happening. The worksheets check for understanding. I can teach in the moment if it is necessary. 

I PREVIEW THE MOVIES. ALWAYS. I WOULD NEVER SHOW A MOVIE/TED TALK/CLIP  I HAVE NOT SEEN MYSELF FROM START TO FINISH. 

While I preview the movie I write down words and expressions - and a short summary of the scenes.
Then I create the worksheets.....
A LOT OF WORK.
Here's the moment when I give a shout out to eslnotes.com where I "learned" to do this.

C . I use "funny" clips from Youtube.  Preparing lessons with movies is a lot of work so I find I am using youtube clips more frequently now - a lot of them with humour so as to engage the students. e.g. a compilation of award winning ads and I used the  "Canadian Fridge" ad before Canada Day. Again - preview, write down vocab, issues, create a worksheet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t41wNkGvJ9k 


I used Anita Renfroe's "The Mom song" (Youtube) for Mother's Day and had the class in stitches.
For this I used a simple fill in the blanks (cloze exercise) of the lyrics. Then we sang the song together with the clip.  Great satisfaction when some students told me they had shared the video with their families...win/win.

TEDTalks has a filter "funny" - that's how I found "The Magic Washing Machine"! (Which I have used for International Women's day and World Water Day..

http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_and_the_magic_washing_machine


D,  I teach "knock knock" jokes as part of a pronunciation lesson -  however sometimes it is hard for students to see the humour in the double entendres.  Reading headlines - and understanding headline  vocabulary is often difficult because of the punning - sometimes the students get it, sometimes not. When they do - smiles and giggles. (Vocabulary in Use, Upper Intermediate, has a good unit on Headline English.)

 E.  I collect and post comics and cartoons (e,.g. to illustrate Small Talk/"Ice Breaker".  Guy standing on the deck of a real icebreaker "What's a nice girl like you doing on a boat like this?") 
Also political cartoons when an election is taking place!

 Soooo....Lots of ways to introduce humour into the classroom without loosing control and decorum. 
(Oh, okay, okay,  so I lose a little control and decorum for a while - laughter is the best medicine...)

I think I have to end with this.  Some of the most hilarious moments in the class have come from the students making jokes and/or laughing at their own mistakes, or REALLY hamming it up in role plays.

It is always about laughing with each other and not at each other.  The laughter brightens my heart and lightens my day - and I hope it does for the students as well.


(p.s. Great topic. I'm looking forward to the ELT Blog LAUGHTER Carnival! Bravo to EFL Classroom 2.00 and to all the Carnival hosts...Way to go!!!)

Glogster EDU: A complete educational solution for digital and mobile teaching and learning.

Glogster EDU: A complete educational solution for digital and mobile teaching and learning.





I think Glogster has the greatest potential...

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5 Must Have Apps For Teachers

5 Must Have Apps For Teachers

Some suggestions for screencasting, cloud, classroom management, note taking, 

Install Bookmarklets / Extensions of Your Favorite Tools

Install Bookmarklets / Extensions of Your Favorite Tools

Lost the add this button I had on my computer....

My Best of series | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

My Best of series | Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day…

Awesome, as usual.  Long list of ESL resources and suggestions...at the risk of repeating myself - awesome!

Holiday celebrations in Claudie's classroom - we all share, learn and enjoy

HAPPY HAPPY AND IMPORTANT HOLIDAYS!

 My classes are always composed of wonderful people from all over the world - many different countries, different religions.

Over the years I have found a way to celebrate in December that brings us all together to learn and share.

I list the holidays that are on the Toronto District School Board list as being days of significance - and the students sign up for a holiday (sometimes in pairs, depends on the level and the numbers)  The proviso is that they cannot sign up for a holiday they celebrate themselves! (great confusion in the beginning about this!)

I then give them a worksheet with questions:  What is the holiday? When is it? Who celebrates it? What is the background to the holiday (history, origin, intent)? What special customs are associated with it, e.g. traditions, clothes)? Any special foods? Is fire or light a part of the holiday?

For the lower levels I usually provide readings from various sources (Holidays we celebrate? When's the next holiday? The internet. )For higher levels (last year, and this year) I have them find their own resources. (But I help them if they are having problems.)

They write up their findings and then we make a wall display (I like the linear one so that is what we will do this year.  I prepare a HUGE wallchart. Each "field" has its own size and colour.  Each student (or pair) gets a set of sized  papers.  They fill in the information, decorate if they like, and then we assemble them all together. )  Then we talk about the information.  Then we have a potluck!

For my classroom I have collected symbols from different religions and we put them up along with greenery and decorations with nature and toy themes...

It is pretty....

(Note - which holidays are included sometimes depends on the composition of the class.  For anyone wanting to do this I suggest checking with your school board, or management as they may have policies in place that would not tie in with this.)