Humor Is The Best Medicine

Sometimes to achieve understanding, humor works best. It’s a great way to “show” – something that all great teachers do well – show not tell and help others achieve understanding. Humor also is just a good release from the madness which we find ourselves sometimes, tearing out our hair over many issues that just continue despite our protests.

Over my career, I’ve used humorous videos to get points across to teachers. Here, I’m sharing a collection that I hope will give you a laugh but also help teachers reflect on the issues at hand.

1. Accreditation. Credentials. The 5-minute university makes the point so well that university nor school is about “memorizing” and filling your head full of information.

2. Testing. There are realities to teachers’ job descriptions that anyone not a teacher won’t understand. There is also a lot of absurdity to “grades” which Alfie Kohn points out so well. Mr. D. tells us like it is regarding a lot of the marking teachers do.

3. Repeat After Me. Teaching Philosophy. Harold Reim’s sheds light on how many new teachers take to teaching when first thrust into the language classroom. Without a teaching philosophy, anything goes. But hey, might as well make it memorable and have fun!

4. Technology. We have a misplaced notion that educational technology is something plugged in. It isn’t. It’s been around long before electricity and circuit boards. It’s also not so hard to get used to – if you are patient.

5. Phonetics. The sounds of English. Simple and self-explanatory.

I’ll continue this series in the near future! Visit our “funny” category on ELT Buzz Video Lessons for more fun stuff!

Got a lot more to post and share. Hope you enjoyed. Got any funny video or story that makes a point regarding education and teaching?