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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Student Feedback

Hi Christian, What are some of the ways you have taken student feedback and made changes in your instructional delivery? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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The Human Factor in Retention

Hi Mohan, Well said and a great perspective on how students need to be treated and respected in a class. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

Hi David, You are right on with your perception of why students need to feel accepted into the class. If they don't have such a feeling they are going to look for reasons why they should drop out of the class. If they feel a part of the class and accepted by the instructor and classmates they are going to work harder and most probably not drop out. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making a Positive First Impression

Hi All, Thank you all for the great responses concerning first impressions in classrooms. All of you have a clear understanding of how important it is to make a good first impression and set the tone for the class. This helps to focus the students on the course and what is going to happen in the coming weeks. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Effective Retention Strategies

Hi Ronald, Good program. I will be interested in how this program works out for your students. You may have to contact them more often than 3 weeks if they are starting to having issues in school. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Jimly, With low enrollment classes you might want to try the panel approach to teaching and assign each student a topic to make a mini-presentation on. This approach can lead to more discussion between the students because each one is perceived as being a bit of an expert on the topic they have researched. Then you can add to the information they have shared to make sure the students have the entire content needed for that area. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Hi Nanci, Great way to bring delivery balance to your students. You have a very comprehensive approach to how you are teaching. Well done. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Hi Gary, Right you are. This is why it is good to offer instruction in a variety of ways so students can work in their various intelligences at different times throughout the course. This helps them to balance their learning opportunities when they have choices in terms of content delivery. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Steve, I use two types of mentors. There are in class or peer mentors. These are advanced students that are willing to share information and work with newer students. The mentors like to do this because it lets them use and expand their knowledge base when they share with the mentees. The other type of mentors are those from the field outside of the school. Generally these are practicing professionals that want to work with those in training. These mentors help to create a connection between the student and the field that helps them to transition between school and… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Instruction Relevant

Hi Gary, Thank you for sharing this valuable information with us. We have to bring our A game to the classroom each time we enter and that involves much preparation and planning. Gary

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