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

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Mark, You last sentence in your post is where we educators need to end up in our instructional planning. We do have our preferences in terms of how we learn but once we are out in the field we may not have the choice of using that preference so we need to acquire the discipline and skill to be able to take in information via other venues. If we can then we are going to be more successful in our career growth. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Stephen, Like all of your ways to motivate students. I use a lot of field trips and guest speakers because the reinforce and increase the value of the content for my students. They see the relevancy and application part of what is being taught as a result of someone showing and telling them about how they use information from the course to be successful in the field. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Robert, Thank you for these comments as they really lay out some of the challenges and approaches in teaching an area like yours. Connecting the dots between content and application is important while still trying to engage students that are training to enter an artistic field. I am sure you have a lot of fun as your students get into your course and start to apply their knowledge and creativity. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Shirley, This approach reduces misunderstandings and gets everyone on the same page. The signing of the acknowledgement is a very clear message to students that the will be held accountable for the contents of the syllabus. This increases the value of the syllabus to the students and helps them to see that you are serious about what you are going to share with them in the upcoming course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Linda, So true about a negative impression. With planning and enthusiasm you can set a positive tone and then build from there. Why start any other way? Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Theresa, This is a great blending of information. Each of your activities helps to get the students settled into the course while giving you information about them and what experiences they are bringing into class. What a great foundation to build on. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Theresa, By you taking this approach about how you use your syllabus you are also increasing the value of the syllabus to the students. They see you referring to it so they in turn start to use it for information, direction and polices and that helps to keep them informed about how the course is going to operate. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Mark, Yes, it does. It gets everyone started off on the same page. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Shirley, You make a number of great points about the value of a well prepared syllabus. A well prepared syllabus reduces anxiety and frustration by students since it answers the majority of their course questions. As a result they will feel comfortable in the class and can focus on asking questions that relate to the course content rather than logistical questions dealing with due dates. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Troy, All of the elements are so important from the first class session onward. They need to know how they will fit into the class and get feeling of acceptance as they look forward to the upcoming class. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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