Humor in the Classroom provides practical, research-based answers to questions that educational researchers and language teachers might have about the social and cognitive benefits that humor and language play afford in classroom discourse and additional language learning. The book considers the ways in which humor, language play, and creativity can construct new possibilities for classroom identity, critique prevailing norms, and reconfigure particular relations of power. Humor in the Classroom encourages educational researchers and language teachers to take a fresh look at the workings of humor in today's linguistically diverse classrooms and makes the argument for its role in building a stronger foundation for studies of classroom discourse, theories of additional language development, and approaches to language pedagogy.

Humor in the Classroom provides practical, research-based answers to questions that educational researchers and language teachers might have about the social and cognitive benefits that humor and language play afford in classroom discourse and additional language learning. The book considers the ways in which humor, language play, and creativity can construct new possibilities for classroom identity, critique prevailing norms, and reconfigure particular relations of power. Humor in the Classroom encourages educational researchers and language teachers to take a fresh look at the workings of humor in today's linguistically diverse classrooms and makes the argument for its role in building a stronger foundation for studies of classroom discourse, theories of additional language development, and approaches to language pedagogy.

This book provides a new contribution to raising attainment in secondary schools, with specific reference to able underachievers who are currently achieving C grades or less when they could be getting As. Standards are depressed each time a single able underachiever demonstrates a competence that is below his or her real potential. It lowers morale in that the progress of the whole school is reduced proportionately in line with the able pupils who aren't achieving their real potential, and resources are wasted every time these pupils start misbehaving or creating problems in school.

This is a new and innovative approach, which is based on discussions with the pupils themselves and incorporates not just the usual basic subjects but also the creative areas of the curriculum and the wider community as a whole.

Head teachers, senior managers, teachers and students, indeed all who are interested in raising standards and ensuring that pupils achieve their full potential will find this book to be an excellent resource.

This book provides a new contribution to raising attainment in secondary schools, with specific reference to able underachievers who are currently achieving C grades or less when they could be getting As. Standards are depressed each time a single able underachiever demonstrates a competence that is below his or her real potential. It lowers morale in that the progress of the whole school is reduced proportionately in line with the able pupils who aren't achieving their real potential, and resources are wasted every time these pupils start misbehaving or creating problems in school. This is a new and innovative approach, which is based on discussions with the pupils themselves and incorporates not just the usual basic subjects but also the creative areas of the curriculum and the wider community as a whole. Head teachers, senior managers, teachers and students, indeed all who are interested in raising standards and ensuring that pupils achieve their full potential will find this book to be an excellent resource.

The language barrier is a familiar term, but what exactly is the humor barrier? Humor is a universal phenomenon, but the ways in which humor is used vary greatly from culture to culture. These differences can prove to be a major obstacle for English language learners hoping to communicate effectively in cross-cultural contexts. While a growing number of researchers have explored the importance of helping language learners better understand the humor of the target culture, in Bridging the Humor Barrier: Humor Competency Training in English Language Teaching, editors John Rucynski Jr. and Caleb Prichard bring together language teachers and researchers from a range of cultural and teaching contexts to tackle how to actually overcome the humor barrier. This book empirically examines humor competency training and presents related research that has implications for humor training. Contributors address a wide range of genres of humor, providing fresh insights into helping language learners deepen their understanding and appreciation of the humor of the English-speaking world, including jokes, sarcasm, and satire. This book is an excellent resource for English language teachers looking to help their learners avoid the pitfalls and reap the benefits of humor in the target language.

The language barrier is a familiar term, but what exactly is the humor barrier? Humor is a universal phenomenon, but the cultural variance in how humor is used can prove to be a major obstacle for English language learners hoping to communicate effectively in cross-cultural contexts. While a growing number of researchers have explored the importance of helping language learners better understand the humor of the target culture, in Bridging the Humor Barrier: Humor Competency Training in English Language Teaching, editors John Rucynski Jr. and Caleb Prichard bring together language teachers and researchers from a range of cultural and teaching contexts to tackle how to actually overcome the humor barrier. This book empirically examines humor competency training and presents related research bearing implications for humor training. Contributors address a wide range of genres of humor, providing fresh insights into helping language learners deepen their understanding and appreciation of the humor of the English-speaking world, including jokes, sarcasm, and satire. This book is an excellent resource for English language teachers looking to help their learners avoid the pitfalls and reap the benefits of humor in the target language.