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

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Eva, "Reading" the dynamics of a class is critical just as you indicate. This reading helps you to develop rapport with the students from the beginning of class. The introduction of the instructor as being human is important as well. In the rush to start the class this aspect is sometimes forgotten. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Hi Kim, I really like your idea of creating "team" learning. Team learning is critical for students since through this they can see how everyone will learn together plus benefit from the life experiences everyone has had. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Colette, You have to be clear, firm and consistent as the class manager. By having your expectations clearly spelled out and then shared with the students you are setting the stage for a successful class. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Kim, There are a number of ways you can bring humor into the classroom. One is to look for examples of how someone has made a mistake in your career field and share this with students. Another is to look for cartoons that will work in the classroom and put them in various sections of your PowerPoint presentations. I let students share some humorous examples with the class that they have experienced or read about. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding learner characteristics...

Hi Terry, You have expressed a common situation very well. Most of us have experienced exactly what you describe. Working with diverse students requires that you use all of the creativity that you can find to make sure you meet their individual learning needs. Keep up the good work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Cara, Great way to find balance between you and your students. This form of "listening" to students helps you to be reactive to the current needs of students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Cara, This is a great way to stay on top of your instructional delivery. I have done the same thing over the years and the results have been that I have been able to keep my course content targeted to and for my students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Clear Goals and Objectives

Hi Bianca, You are correct. No matter how well you present the course goals and objectives the first time the students will need to be reminded of them over and over. This is due to the need to focus on the goals and objectives change as the course progresses and the students see the value of the material they are learning. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Hi Shajan, Go for it. I think your students will really appreciate the color and content these posters will bring to the lab. Try it for a few weeks and see what the student reaction is. If the reaction isn't what you want then it will be easy to take them down and go back to bare walls. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi June, In using the strategies that you listed how have you seen your instructional style influenced? Gary

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