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

Making Your Expectations Clear

Laneita, Well said. College students have very selective hearing. It is easy for them to forget or claim you didn't tell them something about the course. I put all of the needed information in my syllabus and then I put a one page handout with the the requirements in bullets to give them as well. I always print this handout on colored paper so when a question comes up I can say "pull out your blue handout and we will go over the requirements again.". Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Karey, This is such a good way to get everyone on the same page. By letting them know the expectations and requirements then the students can start thinking about how they are going to meet the requirements and have the success they want. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Joshua Justin, So true. This is the foundation upon which the rest of the course is built. So we need to make sure it is a good and supportive one from the very first meeting forward. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Cristina, How do you help them acquire this understanding as you start a course? Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Laneita, You make such a good point in regard to adult learners. They often require additional support as they transition back into being students. The more we can know about them and their life experiences the more we can tailor our instruction to provide them with success and support. With success and support comes confidence and then they really take off in the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Cristina, The more experience you can provide your students in the real world the better. I use field trips and guest speakers a lot in my classes so they will be able to get a realistic picture of what they are going to experience when they graduate. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Sue, A mentor is a wonderful thing to have as you start your teaching career. She can give you so much insight that will help you to move forward in your professional development as well as maintain control of your classes while your develop your teaching skills. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Laneita, You have a good idea of about helping your tactile students to become involved a little more beyond just listening to the lecture. These students respond well to movement and since your format is lecture you might want to do small group discussions or role playing or something like that to get movement. As you say they will get the hands on technical skills in lab so you are offering hands on in terms of movement to help them to connect from a cognitive standpoint. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Karey, Nice blend between instructional delivery knowledge acquisition and staying current in your field. This way you are able to provide in a most effective and efficient manner instruction to your students in a way that prepares them for success in their field. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Brandon, Like this approach. You are breaking down the content in a way that the students are not overwhelmed but are able to see how they can learn a little at a time and as a result they will soon have the complete picture of the key concepts and knowledge they need to acquire. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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