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

Instructors as Motivators

Natalie, Like your definition of motivation potential on all three levels. This is what we should strive to model as we work with our students and share our content. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor REFOCUS

Donald, Thank you for these good comments about how to stay fresh in the material after having taught it numerous times. I teach the same course four times in a row before I get a break. I follow your strategies so that the material stays fresh with me and I try to introduce a new activity each time I teach the course. This way I am excited about seeing if the activity will work and how it will come out. These makes me a learner along with the students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Natalie, Good point and well said. We need to keep the human factor at the front of our minds so our students know they have our support if they are willing to put forth the effort to be successful. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Marilyn, We need to bring passion for our field and enthusiasm about teaching to class. If we do these two things then our students are going to become engaged in the learning process and benefit from the time they spend with us. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Natalie, Right you are. The more an instructor knows about the students being taught the easier it is to develop instructional delivery formats that will appeal to their learning preferences. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Courtney, Teaching is a form of edutainment. You combine entertainment and education to create learning opportunities. A strong dose of humor throughout the course and you have the formula for a successful class where a lot of learning occurs. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Larry, Well said. This is what good instructional preparation should be about. With all of these elements in place you are going to have engaged students and great class sessions. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Courtney, This is a good format for sharing to occur and helps to get everyone on the same page right from the beginning of a new class. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Patricia, This an important part of establishing yourself as the learning leader of the class. We all have the lives outside of our profession so sharing some general facts about our lives helps to create a connection between us and our incoming students. This is the human side of instructor role. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Melissa, Welcome to teaching. I wish you much success as you get settled into your new professional role. As to ideas about how to motivate and engage students I wish suggest that you use case studies and role playing in addition to what you are already doing. Both of these strategies get students involved and sharing during class. I use a lot of small group activities and so those students that are shy can feel comfortable in contributing to class discussions. Use graphics, videos and other media to illustrate your content points. Students like variety and change of pace in… >>>

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