Using Humor
to Maximize Learning
Mary Kay Morrison
www.questforhumor.com
mkmorris@kidsroe.org
1
Purpose of Course
There are several identified research-based benefits for educators
who incorporate humor into their school environment. An culture
energized with positive emotionality will provide an optimal learning
environment for staff and students. Humor fosters trust, builds
relationships, relieves stress and contributes to long term memory.
 This session includes information on;
the benefits of humor
the development of our sense of humor
humor styles inventory
the humor connections that provide powerful ways to communicate with both
students and colleagues
the Hook, Line and Sinker Method of Using Humor to maximize learning
humor and school culture
2
Course Outcomes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Participants will know and understand the
Benefits of Humor
Contributes to mind/body balance
Maximizes brain power
Enhances creativity
Facilitates communication
Supports the change process
Creates an optimal learning environment
Participants will learn the Hook Line and Sinker
Method of using humor to maximize learning.
Participants will complete a Humor Styles
Inventory
Participants will focus on improving school
culture by reviewing the research on the
positive emotions and the impact of stress.
Participants can read the book, Using Humor to
Maximize Learning by Mary Kay Morrison as a
resource for writing and implementing their
humor practice goals.
3
Getting to Know You!
 Housekeeping
Honor other ideas.
Review the 10 minute rule
Observe the process
Music will be transition cue
Take breaks as needed.
Relax, learn and enjoy.
 Partner links
Name, position
Define humor
 Table groups
Table roles/table name
4
Learning changes the brain!
We need to understand the brain
because that is what we work with!
•The brain rewires itself with each new stimulation, experience and behavior.
IT MAKES NEW CONNECTIONS!
•Learning is the act of making (and strengthening) connections between thousands
of neurons (neural circuits or networks.)
•Memory is the ability to reconstruct or reactivate the previously made connections
Neurons that fire together, wire together.
5
Key Research Findings
 The brain changes as a result of
 A critical role in brain growth is the
 People learn
 Everyone can learn more
 Age does not stop
 The brain is
 The best way to learn something is to
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–
–
–
–
–
–
–
14% what we hear
22% what we see
30% demonstrations
42% sensory redundancy
72% movies of mind
88% performance of life challenge
92% what we teach others
We often focus only on the auditory process in
education
Percentages may change depending on different research studies
7
Information Explosion
Contributes to our Knowledge of Humor
Three forms of Biological Inquiry
(Sylwester 2000)
Genetics (cells)
Imaging Technology (brains)
Evolutionary Psychology (Human
Societies)
The brain needs movement
Handout
A2
to facilitate the flow of energy and
information.
8
Humor
Ball
Toss
Magic
Dance
Music
Every
10
Yoga
Games
minutes
Group
work
PairShare
Chants
Cheers
Hi-Five
Mind
Maps
9
A Closer Look at Humor
What is Therapeutic Humor?
Therapeutic humor is any intervention that promotes
health and wellness by stimulating a playful discovery,
expression, or appreciation of the absurdity or
incongruity of life’s situations.
AATH Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor
What is Humergy?
“Humergy describes the energy that radiates the
Handout
A3
optimistic joy of our inner spirit, reflects our unique
personality, and nourishes a healthy mind/body
balance.”
Mary Kay Morrison
10
Universal Humergy Elements
 Trust: Fun and laughter are indicators of a high level of trust
within a healthy organization or relationship.
 Hope: Humor is the sign of optimism within individuals and
organizations. Humor expresses the hope that we can survive
tragedy, difficulty and change and not only survive but thrive.
 Optimism: Depression and pessimism are often linked. The
energy of humor is a reflection of an optimistic spirit.
 Love: When looking for a mate, the number one characteristic
mentioned as necessary is a sense of humor. Humor is the
universal bond for building relationships and reflects our love
for others.
Handout
A6
11
New Finding!
Research Causes Cancer in Rats
 Learning must go through our emotional filter. Our memories are
composed of experiences that are linked to emotions. Thus
emotional memory is a critical component for the learning
process. These emotions are either positively or negatively
linked.
 Adrenalin not only activates the stress response, it also has the
potential to put information into the long term memory.
 Anything you do which engages student’s emotional/motivational
interest will naturally engage the adrenalin system and results in
stronger memories.
Text
Chpt. 3
12
Fear
 Fear is our most powerful emotion. It has the primary
purpose of protecting us from harm. We are
programmed to pay attention to our fears because
this emotion alerts us if our safety is threatened.
Fear has been the focus of considerable cognitive
research.
 Imagining technology makes it relatively easy to
locate fear in the amygdala and hippocampus regions
of the brain. Fear signals DANGER. Fear immediately
alerts us to pay attention.
Text
Chpt. 3
13
Stress and Learning
 Excess Fear causes stress. There is mounting scientific evidence
that suggests that excess stress has an adverse impact on
learning. Yet, according to many teachers, we are exposing our
children to stress at escalating rates. There has been increased
high stakes testing in our schools. Many districts have
implemented paper and pencil testing for students as young as 4
and 5 years old.
 There has been an increasing pressure to focus on what is
tested (reading and math) at the expense of the arts, physical
education and play. Grades are considered extremely important
and actually drive most students learning instead of the desire
to learn.
 A look at some of the research heightens our awareness of the
possible dangers that excess stress creates for our students.
Text
Chpt. 3
14
Stress Research
 An impoverished and stressful childhood may diminish learning by having a
negative impact on the medial temporal memory of a child. Prenatal stress and
the stress that comes from living in poverty have been found to have a negative
impact on the neurological development and subsequent ability to learn. (Farah,
2005)
 Excess fear might lead to actual memory loss. Robert Sapolsky conducted a
fascinating study examining the brains of World War II veterans who had
survived intense trauma during the war. It was found that the hippocampus of
these men was usually smaller than non-veterans in same age category. He noted
an actual loss of part of the hippocampus in these veterans as well as a resulting
memory loss. (Sapolsky, 1999) Current studies corroborate this relationship
between excess stress, damage to the hippocampus and subsequent memory loss,
but no firm conclusions can be made as of yet.
 Students who are prone to depression may secrete more cortisol during a
stressful time. There may also be decreased prefrontal cortex activity causing
moody and negative behavior. Depressed students have trouble concentrating.
Symptoms of depression also include deteriorating schoolwork, truancy, verbal
outbursts and social rejection. (Sylwester, 2005)
Text
Chpt. 3
15
I THINK IT’S STRESS
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Our Goal = Find Balance
Adapted from Joy of Stress
Joy of Stress
Black Hole
Depression
Boredom
Too Little Stress
17
Negative Belief Systems
Can lead
to
Can lead
to
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Belief Systems Can Be “Hard
Wired”
 A teacher’s instruction reflects their system of
belief. Many of these beliefs permeate our education
culture. These beliefs can become hard wired
responses in the brain. These repetitive responses
might be examples of current challenges to positive
thinking:
I teach it, it is up to the students to learn it!
The kids we are getting today are so different! How can we
be all things to all kids?
The parents are the problem
Everything keeps changing!
I have no time for anything new!
I hate that touch-feely stuff!
19
Implications for student
learning
Emotion Drives Attention and Learning!
What kind of emotions have we used in schools in the past?
How has this impacted student learning?
Fear?
Anger?
20
What are the benefits of humor?
 Jigsaw Activity
 Read your section of the book/handout; Using
Humor to Maximize Learning
 Identify 3 key points that you want to share.
 Teach these 3 points to the others in your
group.
Handout
A4
21
Understanding Humor
through
A Framework for Learning
Content
Process
Context
Copyright Humor Quest
22
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Contributes to
Mind/Body Balance
Maximizes Brain
Capacity
Enhances Creativity
Facilitates
Communication
Supports the Change
Process
Creates Nurturing
Environment for
Learning
23
Contributes to Mind/Body Balance
 Humor relieves stress and helps us cope;
Excess fear and anxiety can cause severe stress.
This stress can lead to health problems.
Humor can relieve stress and promote healing.
 Laughter is linked to healing
Humor is being used in Therapy (Association of Applied and
Therapeutic Humor)
Laughter releases endorphins in subjects watching comedy (Loma
Linda University study-Dr. Lee Berk, California)
Vigorous laughter is stimulating, increasing heart rate, blood
pressure, and circulation; circulating immune substance
effectiveness, pulmonary ventilation, and alertness; and exercising
the skeletal muscles. Following laughter there is a brief period
during which blood pressure drops and heart rate, respiratory rate,
and muscle activity decrease, resulting in relaxation (Fry, 1994). 24
Research on
Positive Psychology
 Humor is a complex, developmental, cognitive
process that requires an environment of trust.
 Research generated from the National
Association of Mental Health on Positive
Emotionality identified the characteristics of
these individuals as those who are alert,
enthusiastic, and energetic. Imaging technology
on their brains reveal the opposite patterns from
those of people who are depressed.
 Humor activates the frontal lobes of the brain
and requires several cognitive processes; working
memory cognitive shifting and abstract thinking.
 Fun and play can minimize the stressful
conditions prevalent in most systems.
25
Maximizes Brain Capacity
 HOOK- HUMOR GETS ATTENTION
Humor alerts the limbic system, the attentional center of the brain.
Information is more likely to be remembered if it has meaning and contains an
emotional “hook”.
 LINE- HUMOR STRATEGIES PROMOTE RETENTION
Humor requires processing of language discrepancies in order to “get the joke”
Humor increases memory retrieval.
Advanced language skills are at the core of humor development. One quality in
identifying gifted students is recognizing their sense of humor.
 SINKER- HUMOR CONTRIBUTES TO FEEDBACK AND ASSESSMENT
Assessment is a celebration of learning. Use fun to promote this learning
Include “puns, jokes, riddles” in written assessments
Invite students to contribute test questions in the form of a riddle, joke or pun
26
Enhances Creativity
 The same qualities that are necessary for creative
thinking are found in the expression of humor:
Imagination: Seeing the world a little differently is the core
of humor
Risk-taking: The ability to express “wild” thoughts and
ideas
Divergent thinking: making unusual connections and linking
different elements emerge with both humor and creativity
27
Facilitates Communication
 Humor provides insights into your own behavior and that of
others. Humor is part of emotional intelligence. It is the
ability to recognize our own emotions and the emotions of
others and to respond with positive energy-humergy!
 Humor:
Mirrors confidence and the ability to laugh at yourself.
Mirrors anger, fear and other emotions.
Mirrors communication skills and risk taking ability.
Mirrors temperament and mood.
28
A Humor Communication Skill:
Self Deprecating Humor
The ability to laugh at oneself comes from an inner confidence
and the skill to encourage others to laugh at you as well.
It sends the message that you are human and make mistakes
and allows others the freedom to do the same.
Some examples:
– Appearance
– Aging process
– Mistakes made
If we are what we eat, I am cheap, fast and easy!
29
Supports the Change Process
 Change is difficult.
 When we can find the humor in a difficult situation
we can begin to cope with the change.
 Group humor can emerge from coping with the change.
It is often negative in nature.
30
Creates Nurturing Environment
for Learning
 Supports classroom management
Improves emotional state of child
Reduces anxiety and depression
Improves communication with teacher
 Creates safe environment for learning
 Increases engagement, enthusiasm and energy
Handouts
A6&8
31
Moving from a Fear Based System
to a Culture of Humergy
 Find your partner.
 Review the Worksheets for Indicators of
Classroom Humergy and for Cultural Analysis
 Discuss the emotional and cultural
implications of emotions in your district and
classrooms.
Handouts
A6&8
32
Group Activity
Expands
comprehension
Increases
Opportunity
for Retention
Helps
Learners
Cope;
Reduces
Stress
Captures and
Retains
Student
Attention
Sense
of
Humor
Creates a
Nurturing
Environment
for Learning
Builds
Relationships
with Students
and Colleagues
Supports
Classroom
Management
 Review the benefits of
humor with your partner
 Discuss how humor
usage can benefit
teaching.
 Share how you use
humor in your current
role in education?
Enhances the
Joy-Flow
Experience
33
Humor Development
Growing Up Funny
 Peek a Boo- Birth to Two
 Knock-Knock- 2 years to School Age
 Riddle De Dee- Early Elementary Years
 Punny Funny- Later Elementary through Teen
Years
 Fun Finders- Peak Experience/Utopia
34
Peek a Boo- Birth to Two
 The game of Peek-a-Boo assures the child that what disappears
will reappear. This game helps children understand that their
caregiver will return. The initial fear of loss is replaced with
surprised relief which eventually results in laughter. This
laughter is appreciated by adults and the game is frequently
repeated.
 Adults engage infants in numerous games which provide the
basic skills for the “reading” emotions. Silly noises, hiding
objects, repetition of nonsense sounds and rough housing all
elicit laughter while forming the trusted relationships necessary
for humor development. These fun games also contribute to the
foundation of a strong attachment between parent and child.
35
Knock-Knock- 2 years to School Age
 Pretend behaviors, exaggeration of reality and imagination emerge in
this stage of humor development. Within Piaget’s pre-operational stage
emerges the capacity for children to appreciate fantasy creatures and
to employ their own imagination to create silly stories and drawings.
Dramatic play begins with children imitating adult behavior. They use
their imagination to pretend, often laughing at their own ingenuity.
 Bathroom humor emerges at this stage and reflects the concerns that
children have with their own bodily functions. Taboo words and laughter
about body parts are common in early childhood. Jokes about
elimination and sexual ideas are often silly accompanied with giggles.
There are numerous creative books have been written on these topics.
 It is intriguing to note the use of humor in children’s literature. Wordplays and repetition are important in the knock-knock stage of humor
development. Three to five year olds begin to find humor in things that
appear incongruent such as an elephant washing a car .
"Know why Miss Tomato turned red?" "Cause she saw Mr. Green Pea!"
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Riddle De Dee
Early Elementary Years
 The comprehension of verbal irony seems to emerge between 5
and 6 years of age. Jokes, riddles and clowns are beginning to be
appreciated by children. Practicing jokes and repeating riddles
are valuable components in this stage of humor development.
 Teachers find they can generate excitement for reading
through joke and riddle books, especially for those students who
might not be too enthused about other kinds of literature. Since
children are drawn to these books, many educators use them to
promote vocabulary development, encourage creativity and
improve reading skills.
“Children with the ability to use humor skills in social interactions
were found to be chosen for social activities
more often than children with less developed skills.” (McGhee 2002)
37
Punny Funny
Later Elementary through Teen Years
 Children have an increased understanding of the subtle differences in
language. Their more fully developed language skills accelerate the
magic of humor which can become a magnet that will captivate children
grades 4-8. This is the period where the students will be able to detect
and enjoy a language twist at the end of a story. They will also be able
to understand a subtle variance in word selection and therefore, “Get
the joke”.
 The pun-fun stage also requires the capacity to perceive differences
between feelings of joy, surprise, silliness, happiness, and sarcasm, all
necessary elements for humor development. The emotional growth of
the child is an important factor in appreciating and learning to use
humor at this stage.
 The middle years initiate the emergence of puberty with jokes about
sex and aggressive behavior. Adolescents experience anxiety about the
changes they are experiencing physically and this sexual humor can
provide relief from the stress of puberty. As with the bathroom humor
of earlier ages, physical changes evoke challenges for pre-teens who
resort to laughing with others as a coping device. Note: some folks
never outgrow the bathroom/sexual humor stages.
On an Electrician Truck; “Let us remover your shorts.”
On a Plumber truck; “Don’t sleep with a drip. Call your plumber.”
38
Fun Finders
Peak Experience/Utopia
 The ultimate or peak experience as identified by Maslow and
described by Csikszentmihalyi as a Flow or a spiritual
experience. (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997)
 Humergy is extraordinary optimism and a passionate energy for
life combined with a gentle understanding of others. It
describes the energy that radiates the optimistic joy of our
inner spirit, reflects our unique personality, and nourishes a
healthy mind/body balance
 JoyFlow is the degree to which we have accomplished optimal
growth and self-discovery. This peak experience exemplifies
the capacity to view challenges with optimistic amusement. A
heightened state of positive emotionality defines the funfinders peak experience. For many Joy-Flow is a spiritual
journey.
 Joy-Flow is evident within groups. Visualize a classroom of
laughing students filled with excitement where each school day
offers opportunities for brain compatible learning facilitated by
passionately optimistic teachers.
39
Why Play?
As educators become more concerned with assessment and
federal mandates, time for PLAY gets shifted to the bottom of
the priority list. Some schools have eliminated recess and there
are new schools being built without playgrounds.
Play is important to intellectually enhance new learning, increase
creativity, solve problems, and provide motivation for
intellectual engagement.
Along with getting more exercise and eating well, nearly every
listing in the top ten ways to reduce stress and create a more
balanced lifestyle includes making time for laughter and play.
Handout
A5
40
We might as well post this sign
in many of our schools!
Humans have the longest period of play
of all animals.
This is in direct proportion to the level
of mammal intelligence.
41
Questions
 What signs of Joy-Flow would you like
to see in your school?
What kinds of play promote energy,
passion and enthusiasm among staff and
students?
How often does your school encourage
play?
42
Myths about Humor
There is no doubt that we have been asked to accomplish
more and more in our jobs. I think that the stress that
this creates has led to several belief systems that
permeate our culture and inhibit humor development.





If we have fun, work will not get done!”
“If I am silly, I will not be seen as a professional.”
“If we are laughing, they will not be learning.”
“I don’t have time for humor.”
“We cannot measure humor and the effect that it has so
it is “soft data” and does not have a place in the serious
world”
43
Humor is Risky!
A lot of folks practice safe humor. They only feel safe
laughing in the following situations:
With children
With animals
With drugs, alcohol
With strangers
Making fun of someone else
44
Humorphobia:
The Fear of Fun, Laughter and Humor
Fear of Loss
of Work Time
Fear of
Punishment
Fear of
Looking Silly
Humorphobia
Fear of Loss
of Control
Fear of Being
Made Fun of
Fear of
Inadequacy
45
Humordoomers; people who use negative
humor to control and manipulate others
Humorphobia breeds humordoomers, skilled
crafters who use subtle techniques to
suppress humor in the workplace.
Humordoomers are usually unhappy
individuals stressed by the duel demands of
accountability and limited time constraints.
Handout
A7
The humordoomer is a pessimistic leach,
who can suck the humergy right out of you.
Grown in a petrie dish of fear and anger,
they are threatened by joyful energy and enthusiasm.
46
Inappropriate Humor
When the impact is hurtful,
it is usually inappropriate, even if the intent is not so.
Ridicule
Sarcasm
Ethnic Humor
Gender Humor
.
“I hate being laughed at!”
47
The Trust Factor:
A Critical Component in creating an environment
An indicator of trust in an organization
is the ability to have fun
FunWorks by Leslie Yerkes.
48
Humor Builds Trust
Cultivate it in the Workplace
Humergy=Trust
Supports enhanced communication
skills/builds relationships
Changes behavior of individuals and groups
Relieves stress and promotes healing
Increases productivity
Reflects an environment of trust, hope,
optimism and love.
Handout
A8
49
Educator’s Tackle Box
Hook, Line and Sinker
 The Hook: Capture and Retain Student
Attention:
 The Line: Expand Student
Comprehension;
 The Sinker: Increase the Opportunity
For Memory Retention
The purposeful use of humor
will maximize memory and facilitate learning.
Mary Kay Morrison 2008
50
Your Tackle Box
Hook, Line Sinker
51
Humor Styles Inventory
 Find your Partner (s)
Discuss your options and ideas
Review the jokes
 Complete the Humor Styles
Inventory
Use that discussion and the humor styles
inventory as a basis for your initial assessment
of your humor style.
52
Humor Practice is Ongoing
Set New
Workout Goals
Write Goals
Celebrate
Success
Set a Time Line
Identify
Support System
53
What good is
without a chance to chew it?
gum
54
Review and Reflection
Expands
Capacity for
Learning
Increases
Opportunity
for
Retention
Reduces
Stress
Review
Handouts
Captures and
Retains
Student
Attention
Builds
Relationships
Sense
of
Humor
Creates a
Nurturing
Environment
for Learning
Supports
Classroom
Management
Enhances
the JoyFlow
Experience
55
Grow Your Humor Practice!





Review materials
Write down your goals for incorporating humor
practice into your life.
Examples: laugh more often each day, try a new
form of play, use hook, line and sinker, tell more
funny stories, find a supportive colleague.
Set a time line.
Example: by the end of the month I will have two
coaches in place and will have tried a new form of
play each week.
Identify your support system
Celebrate your success; PARTY
56
Summary



Humor defined; humergy
Humor is developmental
Humor benefits include:
Contributes to Mind/Body Balance
Maximizes Brain Power
Enhances Creativity
Facilitates Communication
Supports the Change process
Creates an Optimal Environment for Learning
Humordoomers and Humorphobia challenge humergy
Review the description of Humordoomer and Humorphobia
Understand differences between Intent and Impact of humor

Understanding your humor style contributes to increasing your
humor capacity
57
READTEXT
Using Humor To Maximize Learning
by Mary Kay Morrison
Chapters
•The Tonic for Tired Educators
•Developing your Humor Being; A Nut is Born
•Mouse Droppings :Examining Brain Research and Humor
•Hurtful Humor; NO Laughing Matter
•The Humor Workout; Pumping Up with Practice
•It’s a Circus Out There
•Survival Humor for Stressed Leaders
Using Humor to Maximize Learning
Mary Kay Morrison
Rowman and Littlefield Education.
Blue Ridge Summit, PA. Dec. 2007
http://www.rowmaneducation.com
58
Humor Resources
A complete bibliography can be found on Mary Kay’s web
site at:
www.questforhumor.com
Reference Books




The Psychology of Humor, Rod A. Martin 2007
Why Zebra’s Don’t Get Ulcers, Robert Sapolsky 1998
FunWorks, Leslie Yerkes, 2001,
A Biological Brain in a Cultural Classroom, Robert Sylwester, 2003
.
Additional resource;
Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH)
http://aath.org/
59
Final Thoughts
“Work like you don’t need the money.
Love like you’ve never been hurt.
Dance like there’s no one looking.
Happiness is a journey not a destination.”
60