Technique 46: The J-Factor

(Part of chapter 7, "Building Character and Trust")

The J-Factor means Joy -- finding and expressing joy in teaching and learning.  Genuine Joy "is a key driver not just of a happy classroom but of a high-achieving classroom." (p 215)

The author lists five categories of J-Factor activities:

1. Fun and games. Spelling bees, relay races (to solve problems), etc., help students get excited about learning.
2. Us (and them). Building a special "secret" classroom culture helps students feel they are part of something special -- which motivates them to do well and not let down their teacher or their peers in this "club".  One can do this by having secret hand-signs, secret songs, unique names for each student, classroom rituals, etc.
3. Drama, song, and dance. "Music, dramatic play, and movement raise spirits and also establish collective identity." We all remember the words to songs from our childhood -- why not use this to help students memorize details from a lesson?  "To sing is to remember." (p 217)
4. Humor. Laughter helps learning.  'Nuf said.  My motto: don't take yourself too seriously, and be a little silly.  Students enjoy it.
5. Suspense and surprise. If you have a set routine in class, then occasionally mix it up.  Students will enjoy the suspense/surprise of wondering why things are being done differently this time.

Note that to do any of these, the teacher has to be genuine.  Fake joy isn't going to work.

My response:

In general, college professors take themselves too seriously!  Why not relax a little and enjoy.  Be a little crazy.

I used a song in my intro to programming class in Java to help the students learn how to write an entry point for a Java program: public static void main(String[] args).  That's a lot to memorize.  But, when I put it to "Row, row, row your boat", the students memorized it easily.  And, while they thought it was silly, they appreciated it when it came time to write code in lab or on a test.  I found them humming the tune to themselves!

I also teach my students the powers of 2 by putting it to "Bah, bah, black sheep".  "1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 // 64, 128, 256 // "...  The students enjoy it.