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

Patrick, Something I use to assist in discovery learning is the use of case studies. I have written up a number of case studies based upon my own career experience. The students really like working on them and coming up with their own solutions. Then we can discuss what I did to solve the case study challenge. This way they get to see the outcome and how it compares to their own. It fun to listen them explain their solutions. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Lorraine, This is an important step to take because it helps to reinforce the content that has just been shared. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Sharing Comprehensive and Clear Course Requirements

Lorraine, This is such an important part of a new class. Knowing what the requirements, expectations and policies are set the tone for how the students will interact with each other and you the instructor. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

James, Both points are good ones for starting a course. Getting everyone settled into the course and creating a good feeling about what is going to occur in the coming class sessions is important to both student retention and attitude. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Samantha, You make a good point about how for many students the classroom is a temporary escape from the pressures of life. Knowing about some of their challenges can help you target your support for their efforts in the class. This is the human factor of being an effective instructor. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using Graphic Organizers

Henry, They really do. They can see segments and then the big picture of what they are studying. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Henry, I like the way you express how we need to plan our instruction. Through relevance and application students see the value of the course content we are offering and that we are helping them to move toward their career goals. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Reinforcement as Motivation

Jamie, So important and so critical for students success. The more feedback we can give the more the students will see how they are progressing in the course and that they are learning a lot even if at times they don['t think so. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Motivators

Linda, Try to get them all engaged but realize that you won't be able to reach everyone. This was a hard lesson for me to learn as a new instructor but I realized after a while that I was fulfilling my professional obligations and that the end result rested with the students. If you have tried competitions, games, and other engaging activities and still they won't respond you are dealing with issues that are outside of the classroom and they are bringing pressure on the students. They don't see the value and/or application of the content and the probably never… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Motivators

Jamie, Good way to set the stage for learning. You have everything laid out for the students so they can see what they are going to learn that session and the progress they are making in the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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