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.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Judy, Thank you for the kind words about the module. We are all in the business of professional development and need to grow in our abilities to enhance our skills as educators. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi John, This is a great approach in helping students to get settled into a new course. By getting to know other students early on in the course individual students can start to see how they are going to fit into the course and have success. This helps to get them feeling comfortable and realizing that they can have success. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Dale, Good point about returning graded work promptly. Students want to know as soon as possible how they did on the assignment/test and where they stand in the class. The quicker we can get this information to them the quicker we can reduce some stress in their lives. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructor Enthusiasm

Hi Reggie, Great quote! It says it all in terms of how the students are going to react to the instructor. If the instructor is organized, excited and prepared then learning is going to be greatly impaired on the part of students. The instructor has to have a positive attitude if success is going to be achieved. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Reggie, This is sad to hear but commonly expressed by many individuals that have gone back to college and encountered such instructors. The positive aspect of your experiences is that you know how you can approach your students and have a real impact on their learning and career growth. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Laura, This is a great way to keep professional development a key part of your growth. You stay current in your field as well as expanding your instructional abilities. This is going to result in you having a rewarding career as an instructor. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Student Motivation Factors

Hi Robert, You make a great point about "that". They need to know what "that" is and if it is worth working toward. If not their motivation is not going to be as high as it needs to be. If they can clearly see the "that" in their life they will be able to have a vision of the future and how they can be successful. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructors as Role Models

Hi Scott, Like the way you have laid out your approach. I think you are going to do well with your students. Your extensive experience puts you in a position to bring the real world into the classroom for your students. Showing them how they need to be flexible and willing to observe and learn from others is a great career skill for them to have. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi James, One thing you might try to get them to remember all the components of a dish or the name of it is the "loci method". I use it a lot in my classes with good results. I break my students into groups of 2-3 depending on how many students I have and how many items I want the students to remember. I have the students draw a picture of the item on poster paper. I locate the pictures throughout the room in relation to the wall, ceiling, floor, corner, etc. I then review the items with the students… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Katherine, Good strategies for introducing different learning opportunities in your course even though it is primarily lecture based. Your students get to see, read, and write information that is provided. These multi-sensory approaches serve to reinforce the content acquisition that is going on. Gary

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