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

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Benedict, Great list of ways to keep students engaged. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Offering Varied Instructional Delivery

Juan, So true. Students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery. You are doing just that and the result is increased student engagement. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Benedict, Good strategy to follow because you are helping your students to develop "soft skills" needed in the workplace via your contracts. They are being held accountable for their own success and I think that is very important in their career development. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Russell, You have set a standard and you are enforcing that standard by not letting late students in. Students need to understand that you are not just being hard on them but you are helping them to acquire the behavior needed to be successful in the workplace. Being on time is a critical part of job success and they need to learn that as students so their transition to employment will not be as difficult. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Benedict, This is a tough setting in which to start a teaching career. You came into the game late and the composition of the students made it almost impossible to reach them all. Sounds like you have worked very hard to make adjustments to reach your students in a way that brings value to their course work. Hopefully the situation has worked itself out via the dropping of some students and the arrangement of schedules so you can provide the instruction needed for them to become proficient in the HVAC area. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Russell, Great way to connect course content to the real world. The use of guest speakers and field trips shows students how they will be using the content they are learning out in the workplace. They start to see the reason for why you are teaching what you are. When this happens their excitement for the course increases and they start to see how they are moving closer to their career goals. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Ruth, Thank you for sharing your teaching experiences with us. This is good information for other instructors to have as they do their instructional planning. Change of pace and variety in delivery go a long way in keeping adults engaged. You are seeing that with increased attendance and more student involvement. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Benedict, Experience is a great teacher and you have certainly learned a lot in a short period of time. I commend you for your ability to adapt to the needs of your students. Your adjustments are keeping them engaged and you are expanding their skill sets. Keep up the great work! Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Miguel, Good suggestions for how a syllabus should be developed and shared with students. The idea of getting the syllabus early to students is a good one because as you say it helps them with their planning in relation to time and effort needed for course success. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Discipline in Critical Thinking

Lilly, Yes, it does and it seems to be a concept that many students cannot or will not grasp. Self discipline is key to the development of the ability to think critically and problem solve. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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