Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
29 January 2024 | Story Igno van Niekerk | Photo Igno van Niekerk
Prof Jannie Pretorius
Prof Jannie Pretorius uses an engaging and humorous teaching style that keeps his Life Science and Natural Science students fascinated and engaged.

Once upon a time, there was a monotonous teacher: the students did not like his lectures. Nothing interesting ever happened. The teacher grew old and retired. The end. Or not? According to research, teaching can be a humorous, fun, and enjoyable experience if you do it differently.

Mr Bean videos and Trevor Noah in the class

Prof Jannie Pretorius, a lecturer in the School of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Technology, uses an engaging and humorous teaching style that keeps his Life Science and Natural Science students fascinated and engaged. When starting out at the UFS, Prof Jannie wondered about using humour in a “serious tertiary environment.” He soon discovered that students, like most other people, also enjoy appropriate humour.

Using humour in education turned into a research project, and Prof Pretorius found himself showing Mr Bean videos and watching Trevor Noah shows to develop a lesson where the impact of using intentional humour was studied by measuring students’ reactions. An example from the transcription of his class on the mating habits of the praying mantis, where the female often bites the male’s head off to eat him for nourishment, shows how fun can be integrated into learning:

So, it seems that the praying mantis is like – praying; the male is saying: ‘Please don’t eat me, Sylvia, please!’… (laughter) … and she would pray back and say, ‘Please, Ronnie, I can’t resist you.’ (laughter).

Sensitive to their learners’ preferences

Despite the classes being fun, Prof Pretorius also cautions that it is important for teachers to be sensitive to their learners’ preferences and cultural backgrounds when using humour. “There is always an element of risk in the use of humour. As such, humour should always be used in a respectful and inclusive manner to ensure that all learners feel comfortable and included in the classroom.”

Prof Pretorius recognises that the use of humour depends on educators’ personal preferences. Ultimately, it is about what the students learn.

Listen to Prof Jannie Pretorius talk about his research. 

News Archive

UFS hosts last ANC seminar before centenary celebrations in 2012
2011-11-17

Since March this year the Centre for Africa Studies at the University of the Free State (UFS) has been hosting a series of dialogues about the African National Congress (ANC). This is in preparation to the party’s celebrations of its 100 years in existence on 8 January 2012. During the course of the year well-known political commentators and intellectuals delivered speeches at the seminars held on the Bloemfontein Campus. These included Proff. William Gumede, Stephen Ellis and Colin Bundy, who covered, among others, topics like the history of the ANC and SACP in exile and past leadership.

The last ANC Centenary Seminar of the year will be hosted on Wednesday 23 November 2011.The speaker is Prof. Benjamin Turok, Chairperson of the Network of African Parliamentarians (NAP) and well-known activist. Prof. Turok will speak on the 'Evolution of Economic Policy Thinking'.

Wednesday 23 November 2011
18:00
Odeion
 
Please note that the dialogue series continues in 2012.

 

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept