“You’re a high-priced lawyer! If I give you $500, will you answer two questions for me?”
“Sure”, says the attorney. “What’s the second question?”.
Should law schools become funnier? Prof. Stephen Reed at Northwestern argues that humor is an excellent pedagogical tool. I agree. The brain is like a muscle. The more you use it intensively , the stronger it gets. But for strengthening the muscle, frequent relaxation is as critical. Humor can fulfill that role for the brain”muscle”.
In addition to creating relaxation in a learning environment, humour can also serve in class as a pleasant “bridge” to a subsequent topic.
More importantly, humor allows learners to briefly step out of the learning “trance” to look back. At this stage they can reflect and consider how to integrate that what they just learned into their existent knowledge. That is vital for consolidating new knowledge. Humor can facilitate this long-term learning effect.
But not everyone has a natural talent for being funny. Some lecturers do not have the guts. But everyone can learn. So here is my best tip: read a serious guide by prof. Reed. And if that is to scary, do what you can: start reading a book on lawyer jokes or simply have a look at the law fun website.