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.

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Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Greta, What are strategies that you use to help you make a positive first impression with your students? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Dorothy, This is a good way to help your students to understand the course requirements and operating methods. This way the students can concentrate on the course without being frustrated and confused. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Jennifer, "Reading" the class is a key way to identify the instructional styles that will be most effective for your students. Your strategy for doing this provides variety for your students and will help to keep them engaged in the learning process. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi Terry, Let your personality guide you and then expand your delivery to include it. This way you will be yourself but also an effective instructor. You can't be someone you are not but you can refine your delivery to include such things as humor or a bit of acting to get points across. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Valuing Student Opinions

Hi Connie, Good point about how to pull students into the discussion and get them to share what they have learned as well as their life experiences. This helps them feel a part of the class and comfortable with the class dynamics. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Henry, Great definition. I like the way you included all of the key ingredients needed for excellence in teaching in your definition. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Dr. Molina, You have a great point when speaking about value. Students need to value what they are learning because they are preparing to enter the career field of their choice. When they value the content they will start to see application and relevancy to what they are learning and this leads to student success. Your efforts are helping them to achieve that goal. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Frances, You have a great approach to the classroom. I can tell from your comments and attitude that you are excited about your field and being an instructor. This excitement spreads as you will know. Keep up the good work. Think of the impact you are having on the lives of your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Instruction Relevant

Hi Jeanette, Do an analysis of the key concepts of your class. Then develop questions that ask students to apply previous knowledge in different situations. Ask students to define key words used in the field is another way to get a baseline fix. Give them case studies or problem solving situations and see what solutions they come up with. I use this method frequently and from their responses I get a very clear picture of where they are in terms of knowledge application. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Hi Terri, You make a number of very good points about how students can acquire new knowledge and develop additional skills. The learning process needs to be varied and targeted if the students are going to learn in an efficient and effective way. Your strategies help to make that happen. Keep up the good work. Gary

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