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So I'll put it to you this way, through highschool and university the best teachers or professors I ever had were comedians. Maybe "entertainers" is a better wo

So I'll put it to you this way, through highschool and university the best teachers or professors I ever had were comedians. Maybe "entertainers" is a better word. One of them even specifically told us about his strategy before he started his series of lectures. Basically, when people get bored they stop absorbing. Once in a while he will "trick your mind" (i.e. confuse it), and you will pay attention again. To be honest, its why I know as much about operating systems, locks and threads, as I do. To make this story relevant. Humor is just that, a trick someone plays on your mind.

mc32 12y ago
I think you might have a point there. For an instructor I can attribute it to personality or style. They know you a bit and try to engage but broadcast is simplex so i think its something else. I think they're trying to reproduce a type of gossipy jocular delivery of news. Maybe a bit like a town crier but still different. My feeling is they're trying to seem like they're your friends, so you feel more engaged and listen and don't mind the bias because, you 'know them, and you accept that trait'. The unattached news delivery was not engaging us psychologically (for whatever reason we may need that) so they came up with this new recipe. Never the less in other countries I've had news delivered pretty matter of factly --with built in biases of course but the news wasn't chased with comedy satire etc. There might have been irony but anyhow there's something about the need for comedy to make it digestible for us
germinalphrase 12y ago
This speaks very closely to my own development as an educator. Being a 'fonte of knowledge' is only engaging to student who're already intrinsically motivated to learn. With the expectation that every student be engaged and successful in their learning (regardless of the baggage or apathy they carry with them into the room) I've found myself actively attempting to improve the performance aspect of my job. It helps that my partner is an improv comedianne, but when I began this work (as as natural introvert) I didn't imagine that a daily self-review of my "performance" would consider timing and delivery as significantly. In any case, it works and because it works I try to improve this skill.

mc32 12y ago

I think you might have a point there. For an instructor I can attribute it to personality or style. They know you a bit and try to engage but broadcast is simplex so i think its something else. I think they're trying to reproduce a type of gossipy jocular delivery of news. Maybe a bit like a town crier but still different. My feeling is they're trying to seem like they're your friends, so you feel more engaged and listen and don't mind the bias because, you 'know them, and you accept that trait'. The unattached news delivery was not engaging us psychologically (for whatever reason we may need that) so they came up with this new recipe. Never the less in other countries I've had news delivered pretty matter of factly --with built in biases of course but the news wasn't chased with comedy satire etc. There might have been irony but anyhow there's something about the need for comedy to make it digestible for us

germinalphrase 12y ago

This speaks very closely to my own development as an educator. Being a 'fonte of knowledge' is only engaging to student who're already intrinsically motivated to learn. With the expectation that every student be engaged and successful in their learning (regardless of the baggage or apathy they carry with them into the room) I've found myself actively attempting to improve the performance aspect of my job. It helps that my partner is an improv comedianne, but when I began this work (as as natural introvert) I didn't imagine that a daily self-review of my "performance" would consider timing and delivery as significantly. In any case, it works and because it works I try to improve this skill.