Professors Are from Mars, Students Are from Snickers

by Berk, Ronald A.

• ISBN13: 9781579220709
• ISBN10: 1579220703
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781000977370
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-07-01
• Publisher: Stylus Pub Llc

Summary

Professors and students seem to come from different planets (or candy bars). Barriers frequently exist that impede their communication, such as age, income and cholesterol level. Humor can break down these barriers so that professors can better connect with their students and other audiences. It can be used as a teaching tool to facilitate learning. Ron Berk describes and illustrates a wide variety of techniques that can be integrated systematically into instruction and professional presentations. For professors who consider themselves as "jocularly arthritic", this book moreover provides a special feature: it is close-captioned for the humor impaired. Berk's techniques are "the product of ten years of inadequate development, testing and research." But why take the author's words at their face value? Consider the testimonials of those who have actually attempted these methods in their own classes and presentations: 'Before I tried Ron's methods in my philosophy class, I had an attendance problem. Now, no one comes to class.' -- H.I., Slot Machine U., Nevada 'Applying humor to my engineering courses led me to understand the meaning of humiliation and rejection.' -- J.K., Toyota College, Kentucky

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(4)
Why Use Humor?	5	(6)
Anatomy of Humor	11	(10)
Commonly Understood Situation	12	(3)
Build-Up of Tension	15	(2)
Unexpected Twist	17	(1)
Structural Variations	18	(3)
Types and Forms of Humor	21	(30)
High-Risk Humor	22	(1)
Low-Risk Humor	23	(21)
Quotations and Questions	23	(5)
Cartoons	28	(2)
Multiple-Choice Items	30	(3)
Top 10 Lists	33	(3)
Anecdotes	36	(3)
Skits/Dramatizations	39	(4)
Ad-Libs that Aren't	43	(1)
Offensive Humor	44	(3)
Inappropriate Targets	45	(1)
Appropriate Targets	45	(2)
Self-Effacing Humor	47	(1)
Writing Your Own Humorous Material	47	(1)
Field Testing Your Material	48	(3)
Sources of Humorous Material	51	(12)
Analyze Who Makes You Laugh	51	(1)
Analyze What Makes You Laugh	52	(1)
Read Humor Written by Others	52	(8)
One-liners, Top 10 Lists and Anecdotes	53	(2)
Cartoons and Riddles	55	(3)
Humorous Textbooks	58	(1)
Professional and Office Humor Books	58	(1)
Humor Journals, Magazines, and Newsletters	59	(1)
Music Sources for Skits	60	(1)
Observe Humor Around You	60	(3)
Delivering Humor Effectively	63	(20)
Pre-Delivery Preparation	65	(1)
Memorize Your Material	66	(1)
Practice Your Timing	67	(1)
Involve Your Audience	68	(1)
Vary Your Voice Modulation, Intonation, and Speed	69	(1)
Enunciate Every Word	70	(1)
Use Facial Expressions	71	(1)
Gesture with Your Hands and Arms	71	(1)
Move Your Body Around	72	(2)
Use Audiovisual Aids	74	(4)
Chalkboard (or White Board)	75	(1)
Overhead Projector	75	(1)
Slide Projector	76	(1)
Computer	77	(1)
Tape Player	77	(1)
Props	78	(1)
Make Eye Contact	78	(1)
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE Everything	79	(1)
Recover from a Bomb Gracefully	80	(1)
Critique Your Delivery	81	(2)
Using Humor in the Classroom	83	(48)
Humorous Material On Syllabus	87	(5)
Title	87	(1)
Prerequisites	88	(1)
Professor's Credentials	88	(3)
Office Hours	91	(1)
Teaching Strategies	91	(1)
Reading List	91	(1)
Descriptors, Cautions, and Warnings on Handouts	92	(4)
Opening Jokes	96	(11)
Skits/Dramatizations	107	(2)
Spontaneous Humor	109	(1)
Responses to Students' Questions	109	(1)
Responses to Your Mistakes	109	(1)
Responses to Interruptions	110	(1)
Humorous Questions	110	(1)
Humorous Examples	111	(12)
Humorous Problem Sets	123	(1)
``Jeopardy!'' Type Reviews for Exams	124	(2)
Humorous Material on Exams	126	(5)
Title	126	(1)
Directions	127	(1)
Test Items	128	(1)
Last Page	129	(2)
Using Humor in Professional Presentations	131	(30)
Prepare the ``WHAT'' Well in Advance	132	(1)
Prepare Handouts of Key Points	133	(1)
Plan ``HOW'' the Presentation Will Be Made	133	(1)
Determine the Size of the Audience and Physical Characteristics of the Room	134	(2)
Conduct a Comprehensive Profile of Your Audience	136	(1)
Review the ``WHAT'' for Opportunities to Use Examples and Illustrations	136	(1)
Develop a Pool of Humorous Examples	137	(1)
Prepare a Humorous Introduction	137	(11)
Design a Humorous ``Finale''	148	(5)
Practice Presentation to Estimate the Time	153	(1)
Adjust Humorous Material to Fit Within the Allotted Time	153	(1)
Insert Humorous Material into Content	154	(1)
Edit Humorous Material to Assure It Is Not Offensive to Anyone	154	(1)
Assess the Distribution of Humorous Material	155	(1)
Select Your Audiovisual Aids	156	(1)
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE Your Delivery	157	(1)
Retain a Pool of Backup Humorous Material That Can Be Substituted at the Last Minute	157	(1)
Edit Humorous Material Prior to and During the Presentation	158	(1)
Celebrate Your Successes, But Conduct a Postmortem ASAP	158	(1)
Continue This Process Forever	159	(2)
Using Humor in Publications and Communications	161	(14)
Thong 1: Humor Salability Factors	162	(4)
Type	162	(1)
Form	163	(2)
Quality	165	(1)
Quantity	166	(1)
Thong 2: Published and Unpublished Vehicles for Humor	166	(5)
High-Probability Vehicles	166	(3)
Low-Probability Road Blocks	169	(2)
Thong 3: Humor in Academic Communications and Documents	171	(4)
Correspondence	172	(1)
Meeting Agendas and Minutes	172	(1)
Committee Reports	173	(2)
References	175	(8)
Index	183