technique
No laughing matter T
Fresh from his stand-up debut, Brightwave’s Peter Styles asks what’s so funny about learning technologies?
he inspiration for writing this piece was the lead-up to one moment – approximately 9pm on Wednesday 27 April 2011... performing my first ever gig at a comedy club.
While I’d spent the last few weeks coming up with concepts,
writing lines, killing weaklings, fiddling with the running order, practising on my friends and honing it all to some chaotic version of comedic perfection, it led me to think about e-learning – which I write about when not trying to be funny – and how humour, mirth and general jollity are used to engage and inform. As George Bernard Shaw said: “Get an audience laughing, then
while their mouths are open you can shove in the truth.” Standing in front of my fellow humanoids and trying to hold their attention is not new to me – a few years ago I was a journalism lecturer, and tried to have my students rolling in the aisles (or at least not snoring) while leading them through three fascinating hours of local government finance or another scintillating topic. I’m not the first person from training/education (though possibly from the e-learning sector – am I wrong?) to try my hand at stand-up. Greg Davies (Inbetweeners), Natalie Haynes, Nick Hancock, Shazia Mirza and the late, great Dermot Morgan (Father Ted) were all teachers before grabbing the mike. Frank Skinner is the only other lecturer-cum-comedian I could find – and he only taught English at Halesowen College, wherever that is.
Where does humour fit in e-learning? It’s ten years since the term e-learning was coined, and the sector is maturing – slowly, the ‘next button’ is seen less frequently and may hopefully one day be on the ‘ugly endangered list’ along with the Pied Tamarin and European Eel. However, in terms of a genuine fusion between the worlds of
comedy and e-learning, there’s a long way to go. The company Video Arts – formed by John Cleese and other far-sighted individuals more than 30 years ago – led the way. But as some old bloke with a guitar once said, the times they are a changing, and other providers are recognising there is serious learner and business benefit in being funny. James Cory-Wright, Brightwave’s head of instructional design
concedes: “Using comedy in e-learning is one of those things that everyone is afraid of, but then thinks it’s absolutely amazing when it’s done well as it usually reinforces the learning points.” Tom Hickmore, managing director of video specialist Nice
Media, agrees: “Comedy lends itself well to short form pieces. Drama requires empathy with characters, which takes time. And comedy works well with lower budgets – after all it’s not meant to be real, just funny to get the message across. These things sit well together. Make it heightened, playful, and philanthropic.” At last year’s E-Learning Awards, Brightwave, with PwC, scooped gold for a course comprising more than 130 video clips housed in a YouTube- style portal. The subject – the importance of independence in auditing – meant an engaging way to deliver the information was more than necessary.
The contrast between learning and amusing oneself is not laid down by any divine rule
Berthold Brecht 14 e.learning age june 2011
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