Teacher Humor in Classroom Management

        Summary of St-Amand et al. (2024)

 Background & Existing Knowledge
Humor is a longstanding classroom management tool that can strengthen rapport, enhance climate, and increase engagement—if used appropriately.

New Insights from This Study
✔ Course-related humor boosts emotional well-being, belonging, and engagement.
✔ Other-disparaging and unrelated humor can undermine these benefits.
✔ Well-being and belonging mediate the humor–engagement link.

Practical Applications

Using Humor Purposefully
📌 Integrate humor directly connected to lesson content.
📌 Use light, inclusive jokes to reduce anxiety before assessments.
📌 Avoid humor that targets individuals or sensitive topics.

Building Relationships Through Humor
📌 Share self-deprecating humor occasionally to humanize the teacher.
📌 Use humor to defuse tense situations without embarrassment.
📌 Encourage student-generated humor in presentations or activities.

Sustaining Engagement
📌 Incorporate playful challenges or games tied to learning goals.
📌 Alternate between humor and serious moments to maintain focus.
📌 Use humor as a cue to transition between activities smoothly.

Conclusion
Purposeful, lesson-related humor can enhance climate, strengthen bonds, and boost engagement when balanced thoughtfully.

Reference
St-Amand, J., Smith, J., & Goulet, M. (2024). Is teacher humor an asset in classroom management? Current Psychology, 43, 2499–2514. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-04481-9

Suggested Citation
Ross, E. M., & Malar, D. B. J. (2025). Training Needs in Classroom Management. Excellent Educator, 2(16), 7.