Independent Thinking on Laughter: Using Humour as a Tool to Engage and Motivate All Learners

by Dave Keeling

Overview

Written by 'stand-up educationalist' and Independent Thinking Associate Dave Keeling, this book is an uplifting manifesto on the power of humour and laughter to improve teaching and learning in every classroom. Combining his trademark wit and wisdom with the latest research on the myriad ways laughter can boost learning, Dave draws on his experience of bringing the best out of even the most difficult young people to offer a veritable smorgasbord of activities for use with all learners. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to take these ideas and adapt, explore and generally mess about with them to your heart's content.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781353417
Publisher:	Independent Thinking
Publication date:	01/30/2020
Series:	Independent Thinking on
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	4.80(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Dave Keeling has been a professional actor for 20 years and a 'stand-up' educationalist for 18 years working the length and breadth of the country with teachers, pupils and parents.

Table of Contents

Foreword i

Acknowledgements iii

First Thoughts 1

Part I The World of Humour and Comedy 5

Chapter 1 Funny Business Is a Risky Business 7

Chapter 2 What a Sense of Humour Is and How to Define It 11

Chapter 3 Humour, Curiosity and Playfulness - Being 7 All Over Again 23

Chapter 4 The Sciencey Bit - It's Brain Jim, But Not As We Know It 33

Chapter 5 Your Funny Bone is Connected to Your, Er 43

Dave's comedy questionnaire 43

Chapter 6 Only Joking 51

Comic aside: five great humour tricks 53

Chapter 7 Please Be Seated for the Secrets of Stand-Up 59

Chapter 8 Making It Up As You Co - Improvisation and Teaching 79

Part II Improving Learning and Making Everything Better 85

Chapter 9 Thirty Exercises to Build Rapport, Encourage Spontaneity and Get Their Creative Juices Flowing 87

Exercises to engage curiosity 87

Exercises to get them messing about and learning to fail 91

Humour activities 95

Improv games 98

Activities to get 'em thinking, wondering, laughing and learning 101

Chapter 10 Gagging for More? 113

Twenty reasons to use laughter in your lessons 113

Twenty objects for your comedy kitbag 114

Ten great free apps for comic (and educational) effect in the classroom 116

Twenty reasons why your work here is not yet done 118

Final Thoughts 121

Appendix 1 Index of Exercises 123

Appendix 2 List of Lists 125

References and Further Reading 127