I have been teaching English for almost five years now. I taught students in both China and Canada. The one method I enjoy teaching English the most is by way of telling jokes. When one usually lectures or teaches you never really know if the student fully understands what is being spoken or taught.
Whenever I explain the lesson through a joke I know the students get the point when I hear them laughing. I find laughter to be a confirmation that the student has fully acknowledged what has been taught to them.
The following is an example of a joke which is not only funny but at the same time gives a definition to three words and makes it easy to remember their differences in meaning.
What’s the difference between stress, tension and panic?
Stress is when wife is pregnant,
Tension is when girlfriend is pregnant, and
Panic is when both are pregnant.
These types of jokes not only make the student laugh but leave a lasting impression in the students mind. The students will be able to remember these definitions much easier than just reading them from a dictionary.
Other jokes are also an excellent teaching resource is the use of analogies in the English language.
Here is another example:
What is the difference between a battery and a woman?
A battery has a positive side.
This joke helps student relate the meaning of positive and negative charges in batteries to positive and negative attitudes of women. Students learn that both batteries and people can be positive and negative. This type of learning really sticks out compared to the tradition textbook learning from boring scripts.
Overall I think teaching humor to your students and telling jokes is a fun an exciting way to keep them entertained, motivated, and especially awake during class.