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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Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Dennis, Thanks for sharing this great example of student success. Talk about relevant to the class and students. You were just getting ready to cover that area plus the talk about bonus dollars really helped to ramp up the excitement level. These stories always get me excited about how great it is to be an instructor and get to help students to achieve their life goals. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Tamar, Good way to get students settled into the course. They know they have someone that they can talk to about class issues if they aren't sure about an assignment, etc. I like this approach as well because it helps them to see how they need to develop their social abilities to work with others which is a skill they are going to need in the real world. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Sarah, Good point. Activities that involve hands on and sharing with each other help to integrate the students into the class and gain respect for each others contributions. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi Arturo, All strategies for keeping your professional development moving forward. This will result in more effective and efficient instruction on your part and increased learning by your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Effective Retention Strategies

Hi Angela, Thanks for sharing this student management strategy. This gives a number of opportunities for students to keep moving forward in their learning while coping with life issues. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Hi Bruce, Great points and your method of presenting it really says it all. You are right about the planning, planning, planning part. It is the core of what teaching is all about. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Instruction Relevant

Hi Aaron, This is a great way to approach skill development in this area. Thank you for sharing it with us. The example is great and gives me new perspective on how things are described in relation to their appeal. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Hi Dr. McArdle, You make a number of excellent points about how to approach the classroom. Your "read" of your students is what makes your planning and organization so valuable and rewarding to your students. Thanks for sharing these perspectives with us. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Cathy, Good strategy for instructional improvement. "Reading" students is very important. There is a saying "if you are talking you are not learning". Your point about listening to students is a good one. You gain a lot of insight from listening to them and then adapting your instruction in relation to what you have learned. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Retention Strategies

Hi Juanita, The personal touch is so important in teaching. What are some strategies you use to find out some additional information about your students? Gary

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