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

Supporting Problem Solving Skills

Tom, This is such an important tool for them to be able to use. By being able to collect and understand the data they will be able to come up with viable solutions and refine their problem solving skills. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Defining Intelligence

Tom, Two key elements of needed to become critical thinkers and problem solvers. They need to be able to see the sequence of ideas and solutions in a way that will enable them to visualize the end results when they propose a solution. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Student Feedback

Mark, Student feedback is how instructional improvement is made. This is how you learn what works and what doesn't so you adapt and modify as you go through the course. I get frequent feedback from my students because I find that this is little or no value to be gotten from the end of course formal evaluations. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Ashley, I agree because a well prepared course answers many of their questions and lets them focus on thinking about how to meet the expectations of the course rather wondering what the instructor wants them to do in the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Role Models

Ashley, The instructor is always being observed by students so that individual needs to keep that in mind as he or she interacts with students and provided educational leadership. This is why your list of things an instructor needs to do is a good one for every instructor to remember. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Critical Thinker Characteristics

Tom, Well said. They need to have confidence in you as their learning leader. This is how you earn their respect and upon which rapport is developed. From there the students can start to reflect on what they know and how they can become effective problem solvers. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Offering Varied Instructional Delivery

Miriam, Good strategy to employ. By "reading" your students you are able to customize your approach based upon their needs. This increases the value of the course to them and gets them to see why they are being taught as they are. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Alexandra, Like your steps to help students to see the value of your course. I teach a required course that leads to their state certification so the majority of students are not excited about being in this course. They see it more as a requirement than a course that they might in fact learn something that will be helpful to them. So I have to follow your students so I can get them engaged and seeing the value of what I am teaching along with how the content will aid in their career development. We have fun in the course… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Role Models

Alexandra, Great list of ways to stay current in your field and up to date with your instructional delivery. I know the results are experienced by your students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Miriam, Well said and so true. This is why we need to continually look for ways to expand our professional development and expertise. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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