Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Les I believe that your contention about the physical environment is absolute true. A quality instructor can rise above most any situation if they are prepared and dedicated to providing quality learning opportunities. The finest environment staffed by an unqualified instructor will only be a fine environment, not a focal point for learning. The key issue of the physical environment is for you as the instructor to see the environment through the eyes of the students so you can see how you might improve the physical setting so it is not a distraction. This might mean a coat of paint,… >>>

Allison, You have captured the essence of instructor improvement with your statement about using your students as your source for developing and refining your instructional style. I wish other instructors would be as observant about developing and refining their instructional style as you are. Instructors must develop a method of feedback and evaluation that will enable them to gather and process the student feedback that they are receiving. Students will give feedback one way or another and if we are not meeting their needs, then the feedback will be negative and the class effectiveness will be lost. This is unfortunate… >>>

Les I think you have developed a real good system of refining your instructional style by using the three points you listed. The key point for the first item is the method of feedback you use. I hope you have developed a method that gives clear and concise feedback from each represented group. I would be interested in any additional information that you would like to share about your feedback method. The studying of other styles is always a good idea. One thing I find is that by exploring other delivery options I can improve my instruction while maintaining a… >>>

Many instructors don't really understand how important the learning environment really is to their students'success. They just assume that the class will unfold by itself and everything will be fine. Keeping in mind that many of our students are returning to school for the first time in many years and are very nervous about their chances for success. In addition, with the time delay from when they were last in school and the present their academic skills may have become rusty so they are very concerned about such items as notetaking, test taking, and report writing. A friendly supportive learning… >>>

You have captured the essence of instructional style in terms of keeping the student first. We all take in information through a variety of different venues. Instructors have to work hard to provide the variety that is necessary to keep the students' interest. A challenge I see everywhere I do training is that instructors become so focused on their content area that they, in many cases don't provide the stimulation opportunities that are required to keep student interest for the duration. Your point of keeping the end result in focus is a good one. One way of keeping that end… >>>