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 Amy, Good approach to your instruction. You are able to develop a relationship with your students based upon the information they share with you and how you process that information. Then you can respond as needed to each student's support needs. Gary
Hi Mary, Exactly. The students need something to get a hold of when starting a new course. If they have an instructor that instills confidence, is prepared and presents a professional image then they are going to be good to go. Gary
Hi Jim, Good point. This is why we need to provide them with learning opportunities that will enable them to react and cope with difficult work situations when they occur. Gary
Hi John, Well said. By keeping your eye on the end result you are able to guide your students through the course. They know the outcomes of the course will be information and skill is they invest the time and effort to acquire both. Gary
Hi Anthony, This is a good point. It is a total package rather than just one segment that makes the class successful. Gary
Hi John, This is an important way to teach for retention. After hearing then applying the students have a better chance of storing the information in their memories for use later. The more practice they have the more comfortable they become with the information and skills. Gary
Hi Antoinette, What do you use for ice breakers in your classes? Gary
Hi Gary, I call this "connecting the dots" between school and the real world. These examples show clearly how career progress can be made if the individual will put forth the effort to acquire the knowledge and skills. We move toward what we are interested in. So if we want to progress in our careers we need to put forth the effort to separate ourselves from the "herd". By doing so we gain recognition for our work and are rewarded through our growth in position and responsibility. Gary
Hi Gary, Good point. Without expertise everything kinda falls apart since students are there to be educated by experts in the field so they can be successful upon graduation. All of the other attributes of a good instructor need to be in place, as you mention once the qualifications of the instructor have been established. Gary
Hi Katie, I like them as well. They really help to set the stage for my classes. They get my students talking, interacting, and laughing as they get settled into the course. They also let me observe the class and start to see how the dynamics are going to be in terms of student interactions and experience. Gary

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