Why Laughter Makes Classroom Management More Effective

Hey mates This article is SO SO SO AMAZING!!! Read it and you'll see how TRUE and AWESOME it is!


Why Laughter Makes Classroom Management More Effective


by Michael Linsin
http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2011/01/29/effective-classroom-management-and-laughter/





I hope you’re reading this.

I hope the title piqued your interest. If it did, I’m glad you’re here. The topic is a special one.

I hope I can do it justice.

Bringing laughter into the classroom is so close to my heart that it makes me apprehensive to write about.

I feel like I’m giving away a family secret. Or that I’m somehow betraying the trust of the hundreds of students I’ve had over the years,and the close bonds we’ve shared.



You see…

Laughter is one of the ways I’ve turned disparate groups of students into my dream class.

I know it can do the same for you.

Laughter has the rare ability to soften hardened hearts, open shuttered minds, and endear students to one another. It is the key that allows a teacher to reach her hand out to the difficult, the unmotivated, the awkward, and the unhappy…

And have them reach back.





Here are a few more reasons why you should bring more laughter into your classroom:

Your students will love you for it.

When you make an effort to add humor to your lessons, routines, and activities, you instantly become more likeable to your students–which causes them to want to be around you, to please you, and to get to know you better. This, in turn, gives you powerful leverage to influence their behavior.

It’s a common language.

Although it can take time for some students to come around, all students like to laugh. Laughter is the one thing guaranteed to build camaraderie and knock down social and emotional walls, binding students from different backgrounds together into one happy classroom.

It’s easy.

It takes little or no planning to bring more laughter to your classroom. All you need is a willingness to try. Your students will
appreciate any effort to be funny. They’re primed to laugh. So be your silly self, tell a joke or two, and show your best–or worst–dance moves.

It builds togetherness.

I’m dubious of community circles—at least in the way they’re commonly used. Hashing out grievances can lead to resentment and more things to complain about. Sharing a laugh and having a good time together, however, soothes old wounds and alleviates hurt feelings better than anything else.

It motivates students to behave.

Humor can help you create a classroom your students love being part of. This, along with strict accountability, provides a strong motivator for students to behave. No student wants to wallow in time-out while their classmates are sharing a laugh with the teacher.

It eases tension.

Many classrooms buzz with tension. You can feel it as soon as you walk through the door. And before long, you’ll see it too: excitable, irritable, and misbehaving students. Laughter, however, can relax an uptight classroom—releasing tension, calming vibrating knees, and bringing joy to the room.

It encourages hard work.

When students are happy to be in your class, you can ask so much more of them. They appreciate a classroom they enjoy coming to every day, and they’ll want to repay you for it. It’s human nature. We reciprocate those we feel indebted to.

It reaches the hard to reach.

Humor has the power to help you make personal connections with students, particularly with those who are hardest to reach. When I look back on the most challenging students I’ve had over the years, I can often point to the use of humor as a major factor in helping me turn them around and guide them in the right direction.




There is a common belief that if you use humor in your classroom, you’ll lose control of your students.

But here’s the thing.

If you already have poor classroom management, then yes, it’s true.
Trying to be funny will backfire on you. Behavior will likely get worse.

But if you have solid classroom management skills, then bringing more laughter into your classroom will make you even more effective.

And that’s the straight scoop.

If you haven't seen this post you really missed something !

Ooooh this is a very good article and effective Sassy. I really wonder is there any other teachers ? did they see it or not to those who did not notice it they missed something important and beneficial.
I still remember the (Psycho pedagogy) module in one lesson the Teacher drew our intention to a point concerning the right effective to attract students and fight boredom is that it’s better to say a joke or two before the Warming-up period.
Brining laughter to classroom through explanation is one of my favourite ways and methods that I used during my first year of teaching. Actually I never read an article about it or being headed by another teacher it is just me who create it and chooses it and of course I did it. At first when I started my teaching career I got 4 Terminal classes and 1 second year. At the first the students were calm and irresistible and this due to the strangeness of the teacher (me). No voice could be heard during my classes but I noticed that they don’t focus on my explanation. They seem that didn’t miss anything about the lesson but actually they miss everything since the English lessons are boring.
I decided to change the method and I changed it adding the missed element of (humorous aspect of the teacher to attract the students). The wall between the teacher and the students started to mash down. There was a real change and the time was running fast due to the easy and joy environment. Sometimes I was making dialogues with them with no exceptions even the hard students those who consume drugs and they articulate and love to speak and participate during the class. The previous description was held with the literature and philosophy stream but for the G.E classes is the catastrophe the class that got me in troubles with administration. A real bad experience and actually not only me but the French teacher too.
I won’t lie or hide anything I found difficulties in dealing with the (classroom management) after getting closer to the student and this made me regret using the method we’re talking about.

Ps: these are some questions out of our topic please if you don’t mind English teachers.
1- Do all teachers of foreign languages find difficulties in interpretations with their students especially in the (Written Expression) classes?
2- If a student of 2nd or 3rd year English (University) can’t write or discuss clearly how a secondary school student could? Believe it this is so true actually I know some students don’t know how to search for a word in a dictionary and some of them don’t know the alphabetical order and this is a real felony this ain’t no good but fake level.
3- do you prefer the old system or the new one? Why?

Eager to see your replies.

Hi Karim !! Here you are!

Thank you so much for the reply and encouraging words! Bless that good heart of yours!

Well, yesterday I met a teacher who asked me the SAME questions as yours!

When teachers see how I'm so familiar and friendly in my ways they all ak me the same question: Aren't you afraid to get into troubles? Aren't you afraid to lose some credibility and respect?

And my answer is always the same: I respect them, so they respect me! It's as simple as this!

I'm so spontaneous and crazy and this is my nature! Being funny is just being myself.

It's up to you to manage your class, it's up to you to show them that : yes I'm your crazy English teacher, but there's a limit to everything!

There is time for laughing and there's time for studying.

I'm very cool and very authoritatian at the same time ! I know it's a contradiction but if you want to be funny, be funny on the right time and occasion!

I have a funny student, Hamza, and I like him so much. He is the oldest in the class and has troubles with all teachers. So, he is so motivated and he often brings me English books.
And I do love him for his kind intentions.
But yesterday, he said something funny during the lesson and it was very inappropriate because I was explaining and I was very serious. So I said: "Hamza, I make NO distinctions. You do it again, and trust me you'll go out"

He understood what I meant by 'NO distinctions'. It's not because I like him and he likes me that I'm not gonna put a limit!

Even if I taught my brother or my son -if he deserves to be punished- believe me HE WILL BE PUNISHED!

The only difference between teachers like me who punish and other teachers who humiliate and take tings personally is that MY students apologize -not because they are afraid of me- but because they are really sorry and I make them understand that they have made a mistake.

I punish but I move on. I punish but I forgive and FORGET directly!
I punish them but when I meet them after the session in the corridors I always wink and smile.


Karim! Never say it was a bad experience ! You learnt something and that's what matters. You have made mistakes and now the next step is moderation. You will do everything with moderation. Be funny but in a smart way

Level differences:

Well, I have first year classes who are better than second year classes! But , le mal est fait!
It's too late to comment on the situation. What I do is givingthem extra sessions and tell them "guys, I'm really sorry to say this and I don't want to hurt you but this is very serious, other first year classes have a better level than you second year classes!! Now, let us do something to change this!! I believe in you know and you can do it !!! If you help me, I will help you!!"

Your students should feel SAFE with you??? HOW ??? Show them that you TRUST THEM and you BELIEVE IN THEM ! They will do their best to satisfy you and reward your efforts!

WOW I talked too much ! LOL

Thank you dear sassy for the post infact, I'm reading the articles of classroom management, may be, I'm saying maybe, one day I'll find the useful tool to crash that wall between me and my DIFFICULT student, getting the right atmospher. keep posting sassy .....
@ Karim- Rap:
1-Yes, and not just in w.e, but mainly in every lesson, especially in my case,coz I'm teaching middle school classes, so it's worse.
2-Let's say the truth....in my 2nd year class an exellent pupil could find words in dictionary with no problem.( so, it depends on the student himself).
3- Since I'm teaching the new system and I have no idea about HOWever TO TEACH the old one, I can't find tha answer to this question.
These are my answers, Imean according to my point of view but let's see the others'.