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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.

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Discussion Comment

Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Cynthia, Good way to make it personal for the students. There are so many reasons why they enroll just as you say. The key is finding those reasons and then keying on them so you can encourage and support your students. Gary

Discussion Comment

Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Stephanie, You have highlighted one of the challenges we instructor face with the mix of students we have today. We need to be a to balance the needs of both groups while moving the class forward. Another reason why teaching is never boring. Gary

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Instructor REFOCUS

Hi Linsey, Good way to refresh your mind and focus on being an instructor. Through your reflection I know when you start the next cycle of classes you are ready to provide the instruction and support your students need in a way that is customized to their learning preferences. Gary

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Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Rochele, You story is one that many of us have lived through. My heart goes out to these moms and what they are going through. Your support, understanding and mentoring brought them back to the classroom and progressing in their educations. Keep up the effort. You are creating a legacy that is going to impact the lives of so many different people. Gary

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Joe, Good point. Sometimes the truth can sting a bit but we can always benefit from knowing it. This will helps us to increase our skills as educators and be more effective in our instruction. Gary

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Motivating Learners

Hi Jessica, I am a big promoter of service learning. It helps to build the connection between students and their field in so many different ways. It is also a big motivator as you know. Service learning is a win win for everyone. Keep up the good work. Gary

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Liz, I agree with your method in a big way. I do the same thing and find that as I chat with the students I can "read" the mood of the class for that day. This helps me to customize my instruction if I find that something is troubling them or if they have just learned something new about their career area. I can zero in on that and we can discuss it while still meeting the goals I have for that day's class. Gary

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Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Sean, This is a good approach to getting the students involved and sharing their life experiences in the class. They start to see more value to the course content when they get to build a connection between their lives and the knowledge that is being shared. Gary

Discussion Comment

Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Sean, What are some of the strategies you use to get your students involved in your lectures? Thanks in advance for sharing with us. Gary

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Douglas, Your seafood game has to be a real hit with the students. They get to work on their recognition skills while playing a game. Same way with the meats game. This really helps them to activate their working memory and retention of critical content. Gary

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