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

Geri, Good point about how you approach the classroom. You are right about each class being different. This is why it is important to review the course content and delivery plans so you can customize your approach for that unique group of students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Defining Instructional Professionalism

Julie, Good description of how you approach professionalism as an educator and person modeling the characteristics of your field. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Motivators

Joe, What are some strategies you use to encourage and support your students and their success in your class? Thanks for you input on this. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor REFOCUS

Paul, I like your example of being in the woods. It sure doesn't take long to get lost in woods if you don't keep yourself oriented and this applies to learning as well. Yes, we do need to stop now and then and make sure we know where we are and that everybody knows where we are going next. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Student Rapport

Geri, Good discussion on the value of student rapport. It is important to the total development of a student. Instructors need to make it a priority in their student outreach efforts. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Joe, How does an instructor go about this type of planning? What should an instructor be looking for in terms of assessing how fast the students are learning? I know your input of this will be valuable for other instructors. Thanks. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Offering Varied Instructional Delivery

Kristina, Right you are about the need for a variety of instructional offerings. The change of pace and different mediums help the students to stay engaged and use their preferred learning preferences. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Offering Varied Instructional Delivery

Donna, This variety of learning opportunities is very important to the total learning package for your students. This way they get to learn, apply and retain information in different ways. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Donna, Good strategy to follow in terms of trying to develop your adult students so they are able to be "self directed" learners. They are going to be such when they are out in the field if they want to stay current and continue progress in their careers. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Cassandra, Right you are and that is why it is so important to manage the classroom and student behavior to the point that the classroom/lab is a supportive and positive learning environment. Gary

End of Content