Abstract
“Weaving humor into an adult or continuing education class makes the students want to come back. If the class is fun, attending becomes a priority”
There is an old joke that goes as follows: A bologna sandwich walks into a bar and sits down on a barstool. The bartender says, “I’m sorry sir, you have to leave. We don’t serve food here.”
Although it is corny, it is a joke that can reflect a deeper sense of thinking. Obviously, it makes no sense that a sandwich would walk into a bar, or even less sense that it would warrant conversation from the bartender. What is intriguing, though, is this joke could have more than one punch line. It just requires some deeper thought. Moreover, it is an excellent way to engage adult learners and get them to laugh and learn.
For example, the punch line could be based around certain terms, bologna, for example. The bartender can say, “This is a great place to meet (meat) someone.” Or, “I’m glad you are here, this place is already full of bologna.”
There can even be wordplay around the food choice. For example, “Why don’t you find a spot with more room so you are not ‘sandwiched’ in?” Or, “How will you pay, do you have enough bread?”
Humor has been shown many times to have a positive influence on learning. It helps students retain the material (Summerfelt, Lippman, & Hyman, 2010), leads to higher classroom evaluations (Skinner, 2010), builds trust between student and teacher, and reduces classroom anxiety (Shibinski & Martin, 2010). It can also be used, in a playful way, to poke fun at the teacher (Meeus & Mahieu, 2009) as well as successfully assess student learning by reducing anxiety. In specific adult learning situations, it has been shown to dramatically increase the comfort level of the students (Ty & Alkarzon, 2013).
Puns represent a true form of critical thinking as the brain stretches itself to find dual meaning for certain words (Lems, 2013). They can also have a positive relationship on memory, as the internal incongruity they create influences informational recall (Summerfelt et al., 2010). As a result, puns and riddles become a humorous way of getting adult learners to think more critically about any subject.
As older students continue their return to school, tomorrow’s educators will need to utilize effective teaching methodologies. The classroom of the future, whether online or face-to-face, will be composed of students immersed in a world with a myriad of distractions. Humor can help students remain focused by keeping them engaged in the subject matter. This can be done through traditional techniques such as funny videos or guest speakers; however, the intent here is to provide some less obvious techniques. This brief article will present three humorous applications with which to promote thinking and engage adult learners. First to be discussed will be the use of whimsical brain teasers or thinking puzzles. Second is the use of everyday, sometimes outdated, bizarre laws. Finally, some effective uses of riddles and puns will be presented.
Brain Teasers
We all know that February has 28 days, except for leap years when it has 29. But of the remaining months, how many have 29?
The common answer to this is 4 (September, April, June, and November). Four, however, is the incorrect answer. The actual answer is 11, every month but February. Even though we think the other 7 months have 31 days, they also have 30 days. Therefore, all months except February actually have 29 days.
Tom’s mother had three children. One was called April. One was called May. What was the other one called?
The quick answer is June as our brains rush to associate the order of the calendar months with the missing name. The correct answer, however, is Tom. A closer look at the riddle shows that Tom was one of the three children.
Both questions solicit an obvious response and a not-so-obvious response. It is the not-so-obvious response that not only causes us to chuckle but also gets our brains to think in different ways. A riddle such as this can be used to begin any class and get your students to think.
Bizarre Laws
Oftentimes, our own state or local statutes can provide valuable opportunities to promote thinking through humor. For example, in California, it is illegal for someone to possess more than one bear gallbladder. To a classroom of students, a state with such a bizarre law can seem absurd. But once the silliness passes, teachers can guide students through the logic. For instance, what is the possible reasoning behind such a law? Through some guided discussion and Google searches, students might come up with two key points: the value of a bear’s gallbladder and the legal limit of bears allowed to be hunted. Many cultures feel a bear’s gallbladder has medicinal benefits, making the marketplace for them profitable. But, legally, hunters are allowed to kill only one bear. Put those two concepts together, and it becomes easier to see the importance in having such a law.
Other bizarre laws for thought are as follows:
It is illegal in Ohio to get a fish drunk.
In Alaska, it is illegal for moose to indulge in mating behavior on city streets.
A fine of US$25 can be levied in New York for flirting.
In addition to analyzing the idiosyncrasies in American laws, international laws are rich with facts, although seemingly bizarre to an American student, may be part of the tradition or customs of that particular country. This can be an interesting way with which to study cultural differences from an international perspective. For example,
In Morocco, it is illegal to kill a rat unless a person wants to eat it.
Getting caught while bathing nude is a punishable offense in Guyana.
Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, but only if the prostitute agrees to pay taxes.
Bizarre laws are found in multiple sources such as books and on Internet forums that present and vet them. Moreover, an interesting class activity is to have students themselves search them out, present them to the class, and explain them. These laws are a great way to engage students through humor while encouraging them to think.
Riddles and Puns
Puns are everywhere, in books, websites, or simply through word of mouth. Chances are a listener might groan upon hearing a pun only to pass it along to someone else, a true sign of a really good pun.
Riddles and puns can be used to start a class discussion, reinforce a point about a particular topic or just to get the students to laugh. As another example, if we look at the bologna sandwich joke that began this article, teachers can leave out the punch line and let students try to write the ending. A class can come alive with thinking as students try to find all types of whimsical word associations with a bologna sandwich.
Another way to use a pun-filled riddle could be finding a pun to include at the beginning of an exam that relates to a class related topic, in addition to making the students laugh before a stressful experience. For example,
If the class is biology or anatomy related,
Question: Why do winning poker players seem unhealthy?
Answer: Because they looked flushed.
Geography related,
Question: What is the capital of Antarctica?
Answer: The letter “A.”
In conclusion, the adult learners of tomorrow will face many challenges making it harder to attend classes. The demands of daily living will continue to multiply. Therefore, flexibility is among the keys to providing a quality learning experience for adult learners. This means teachers must constantly innovate to keep the class content fresh and their delivery style engaging. This is where humor can be helpful. Weaving humor into an adult or continuing education class makes the students want to come back. If the class is fun, attending it becomes a priority.
The impact humor has on learning cannot be understated. It will be imperative for future educators to introduce techniques that will get students’ attention and at the same time support their pedagogy. And besides, who does not love a good bologna sandwich joke?
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Author Biographies
Alan Seidman, DBA, is a professor and chair of the Hospitality College at Johnson & Wales University in North Miami, FL.
Stephen C. Brown, PhD, is an associate professor in the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.