Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

About me

I am an Education Advisor/Consultant for MaxKnowledge. I write courses that assist in the professional development of career college instructors. These courses range in content from the introductory level to advanced instructional development. I started my teaching career as an instructional technology teacher on the high school level, completed graduate school and then moved into higher education. I spent many years in the area of teacher training at the University of Nebraska. While at the University of Nebraska I stared working with career college instructors to improve their instructional delivery skills. As a result of these experiences I have been a consultant to career colleges throughout the United States and a number of foreign countries.

Activity

Hi Brandon, With incorporation of all the strategies you mentioned I know you are going to be more effective in your lecturing while being more satisfied with the responses you get from your students. You are right about the video. Very effective, but humbling. Gary
Hi Daryl, Good point about relating personal experiences. This is part of showing the relevancy of the course content because you have used that content in your own career. Gary
Hi Daryl, Good point. By understanding your students you can develop instructional strategies that will meet their needs. Gary
Hi John, Good point about students having goals for their careers. You bring up an important point about the younger students. They have the desire but not the life experiences so this is why it is so important for them to have rapport with the instructor and an opportunity to be mentored by those that can assist in their career development. Gary
Hi Desiree, Good strategy plus the more we can make learning fun the more learning that will occur. Gary
Hi Desiree, Well said. None of us have succeeded one hundred percent in our first efforts. We make mistakes we learn, we improve, we try again and again if necessary. This is a life lesson our students need to learn. Gary
Hi Desiree, I like the quote that your dad used with you. This is why we need to always bring our A game to the classroom and be ready to share in the growth and learning of our students. Gary
Hi All, What are some strategies that you all use in getting students settled into your classes and feeling comfortable with the setting? Once that has been accomplished what do you do to get them to feel accepted into the class? Gary

Hi Sriram, Great question because the size and contents of the syllabus does boil down to common sense. Many of the polices you mentioned such as snow days and tornado responses can be put in a general operation manual that the college gives to each student or that you distribute each time you start a class. I like to keep the syllabus focused on the course and include the polices, requirements and expectations as they relate. By having a college policy handout you cover the items that are general non-discrimination statements, etc. Check with your college about how they want… >>>

Hi Steven, Good point. Immediate use of newly acquired knowledge is a critical stage in learning and content retention. This way the students see how what they are learning applies to their careers and their future. Gary

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