Connecting Laughter To Learning

If you’ve listened to any Tinkercast podcast, it’s probably no surprise to learn that here at Tinkercast, we love a good laugh.

We’re eager to talk all about poop, the love life of animals, and building homes out of diapers – in the name of science of course!  We don’t shy away from bathroom humor, and we take every opportunity to say BONKERBALLS!  

You may be wondering, “Why in the WOW are these episodes so silly?!” All jokes aside, laughter has many benefits for your students’ learning and well-being! Check out why we believe humor is FUNdamental to learning, just in time to celebrate World Laughter Day on May 5th!

Every teacher wants their students to give their best effort, and humor might help them do so! A 2021 study measured the effects of adding humor to online learning and found that students in the courses that included humor showed more effort, focus, and participation. Bonkerballs as it seems, adding silliness to your lesson may actually capture and hold your students’ attention. 

Ready for your students to be all ears?! Use TinkerClass! In a beta test of TinkerClass with over 500 students and 34 teachers, around 80% of students were engaged or very engaged when participating. See for yourself! We recommend starting your science lesson with a hilariously scientific episode of Wow in the World to pique their interest, and if your students need a laugh/ brain break, play a round of Two Whats?! And A Wow! to re-engage them. In fact, gamified learning, like that you find in Two What’s?! And A Wow! helps students remember information! Humor + gamified learning = BONKERBALLS retention and recall!

A positive classroom environment helps students thrive academically, emotionally, and socially. To achieve this, students must feel connected with their teachers and peers. A meta-analysis spanning 40 years of research on educational humor reveals that humor enhances human connection. It helps build community by creating environments where students feel comfortable and relaxed. Laughter has been shown to reduce stress hormones! We’ve all experienced how a good laugh can break the tension and turn strangers into friends. It works the same in the classroom – students who laugh together, learn together! 

No one can bring a classroom together like Guy and Mindy! Play any Tinkercast podcast as an “icebreaker” at the start of class to help your students connect. Students will feel a sense of belonging as they embark on silly, scientific adventures together.

One of the most important aspects of learning is the ability to retain information. Students need to recall what they’ve learned in order to build on concepts, use information in real-life scenarios, and take exams. Integrating humor into your instruction can help students do just that! According to a 2007 Pew Research poll, individuals who watched comedic news programs like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report demonstrated better retention of news facts compared to those who relied on newspapers or news stations that were more serious. Further, in a study of kindergarten and first-grade students who watched either a humorous or non-humorous segment of Sesame Street, the students who watched the funny segment showed improved retention of episode themes. 

The TinkerClass team is here to help your students recall what they’ve learned! Kids are sure to remember how the dinosaurs likely went extinct when they remember Mindy driving a wrecking ball into a giant Earth pinata filled with guacamole!