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 David, Congratulations on your successes. This has to be an inspiration and motivation for your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Marcia, The book you refer to is an excellent resource for understanding where adult learners are coming from. Thanks for sharing this with us. You are right about working with adult learners. When they set their learning goals they are motivated to achieve and realize their vision of a life that meets their expectations. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi Kimberly, Good point about the syllabus. It is a form of a contract between the instructor and the students. It is the road map they will follow for the next few weeks so it needs to be well prepared and used for the benefit of the students. You are right if the instructor doesn't follow it or use it the students really get upset and comfortable because they feel they don't know what the expectations are. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructor Enthusiasm

Hi Richard, Well said concerning the teaching of courses that may not be the most well received by students but are critical to their career development. We need to work hard in preparing for these types of courses so the students can see the value of the content and how they are making progress toward their career goals. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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The Human Factor in Retention

Hi John, Right you are based upon my years in teaching. Respect and rapport are two critical elements needed for teaching success. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Kimberly, Good plan. You are hitting on the different learning preferences as well as keeping the students focused and engaged. This is what good teaching is all about. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Michael, I commend you for finding a way around a situation over which you have no control. You still get the information you need about students and yet you keep the class moving forward as needed. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Developing Student Rapport

Hi Jennifer, These are very good points about how to work with older more experienced students. They are valuable to the class if we will let them share their experiences in a way that benefits the class as well as building their self confidence leading to successful course completion. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructors as Motivators

Hi Courtney, Good way to blend both your life experiences and the course content for your students. They can see application and relevancy to what you are telling them with this method. This helps to give them a vision of their future career opportunities. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Hi James You make a number of excellent points about what are different motivators for learners. The most powerful motivation is internal because it is happening in the mind, body and soul of the learner. You are dead on about the "fear" factor. Fear may take on many different forms but it all boils down to the student wanting to do well in career college classes so they can use their newly acquired knowledge to create a future for themselves. Gary

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