Professional Development
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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

Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Motivation techniques...

Hi Pamela, Right you are. The “soft skills” are just as important as the specific skills of the job. If either of these is missing failure will be the result. We all know the data that more jobs are lost due to social/personal interactions that those lost due to inadequate skills. I always had my students practice the soft skills as a part of everyday class life. A habit is a practice that becomes a part of your behavior if you do it for 30 consecutive days. I wanted my students to have made the soft skills habits to the… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Making the Course Relevant
Hi Steve, Great job of relating the professional development of your students to their personal lives as well. Anytime we can make application from one setting to another we are making progress in learning. Students at times suffer from tunnel vision just as we do. By using application and utilization of new knowledge in new settings you are helping to make the sequence of learning occur. Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Making the Course Relevant
Hi Jason, You offer a very sound approach to getting the students started in developing an appreciation for the relevancy of the course. I have a question about how you find out the individual goals that each student has set for themselves. Do you use a survey form, personal interview, etc.? How do you record that information so it is readily available and useable for your instructional development? Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Making the Course Relevant
Hi Ken, The use of previous experiences and case studies really help the application process come alive. Another great source of inspiration and knowledge for students is from successful graduates. These folks can really get the students excited about the future that is awaiting them. Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Setting Expectations
Hi Ken, It is exciting to be around professional educators that take their role seriously. When you are looking at a professional role model what are the elements that you are looking for and how do you apply these elements to your role model development? Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Learning Environment
Hi Ken, You are right about the environment. I have a question about this subject. How do you determine that you can or cannot teach in the setting. What is it an instructor should be looking for to help him/her determine whether or not they are going to be successful in that setting? Gary
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Instructional Style

Hi Ken, Good ideas on how to improve on your instructional delivery. A suggestion for the video feedback is to have someone else view the video with you. I have found that a “fresh set of eyes” can help with the improvement process. Sometimes we tend to be too critical of ourselves and focus on behaviors or mannerisms that are not even factored in when students are listening to us and yet we miss the bigger mannerisms that are driving the students nuts. Another thing I have found helpful is to use a check sheet of key things I want… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Setting Expectations

Hi Jason, The way you start the course is a good one. This way there are no surprises for anyone. . By blending the expectations of the students, with your expectations for them you have a combination for success. You and they must be on the same page concerning outcomes. If they are not clear what it is that your want, nor how to achieve success in the class then the class is doomed from the beginning. In your planning and during the first few class meetings if at all possible it would be great if you could give the… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Setting Expectations

Hi Barbara, No one likes surprises especially when they involve a major part of ones life, like passing a course. As you mentioned you cover the expectations of the students at the beginning of the course. By blending the expectations of the students, with your expectations for them you have a combination for success. You and they must be on the same page concerning outcomes. If the are not clear what it is that your want, nor how to achieve success in the class then the class is doomed from the beginning. In your planning and during the first few… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Gary Meers, Ed.D.
Discussion Comment
Making the Course Relevant
Hi Thomas, You have a very good approach to how you develop both the delivery and content of your course. As you mentioned the key is knowing where students are at and where they need to be at the end of the course. Mixing this with a variety of delivery techniques and you will have students that are interested as well as motivated to learn. Gary

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