Joke-Matching Activity in the Classroom

Hello fellow hivers🤗

This time, I want to share to you the brief summary of the readings I have made from the journals published in the "English Teaching Forum" which you can also try to explore with, especially if you want to know more strategies and techniques on how to enhance your teaching skills and develop repertoire among your students. Here is the overview of the site governed by American English State made by English specialists where you can access through this Link.

At this moment, the activity entitled Joke-Matchingby the Lighter Side gets my attention. This is how the article activity goes:

How is it?**

The short activity talks about a funny but tricky activity. At first, if the instructions are not given, it is nonsense. But, if the questions are already matched to the answers, the beauty lies from there.

The activity requires critical thinking not only on looking for the best punch line to match but to understand how and why it is funny after being matched correctly. Students will also learn to open their minds in trying to build connections on the vocabularies being stated in order to appropriately come up with a funny joke.

Insights

The article is as unique as a person wearing sweater on summer. The activity just amazed me and made me think, “What if I’ll try to create one?” “Will my students laugh?” What will I do if they don’t laugh?” Just as a person who tries to be indifferent around may affect his/her identity.

When a teacher tries to go beyond his personality, the magic wand seems to be working very well but oil always separates from water. Air will always come out from a closed container. Real
personalities reveal. Bright colors will always shine.

Integrating humor in teaching a language is the most challenging part in the teaching arena especially if the teacher’s personality is not humorous/ imaginative. By nature, each student
perceives humor differently as their humor language vary depending on their environment and what they have fed their thoughts.

For an instance, other learners may already decode a certain message funny but for others, it is not. Maybe, they will think of it as a half-meant joke, a sarcasm or a satire.

Moreover, the article teaches me how to create a twist in my teaching activities just as how to design my cake elegantly to attract customers. This proposes an innovative action on my end not to be too busy being myself all the time. At times, I also have to explore the beauty of teaching interaction beyond my own perspective.

Reflection

Implementing humor instruction is like knowing how to compose a new song that everybody would love to hear. First, the goal is the main target. Just as how we set up our bed, travel on our foot/car, and everything that we want to do. Everything should be set with a purpose so that we know what are the things that we need to prepare and what are the best things to be done while
preparing. And the main goal of including humor in instruction is not to teach students how to be funny but to let them understand and interact with the funny practices.

Our life on earth is never-ending but our presence is temporary. Taking a break from the never-ending mountain climbing is not an excuse, it is giving yourself care and love. The life of a
teacher is never easy as ABC, but how the teacher sets himself/herself from the start of the day will always remain at the end of his/her life even later years will pass by.

Thus, injecting joy and humor in the middle of the class is like the drizzles that cools the drought. It’s such a blessing bestowed from above that everyone needs.

That's it for now. I hope you can also share your thoughts about the activity. See you in the next rose@lign.