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

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Anna, You are right on with your delivery of instruction. I teach a 6 hour course that starts at 4 and runs to 10. I have to have a lot of activities to keep the students engaged between the mini-lectures. These activities involved small groups, discussions, projects, case studies and anything else I can think of to keep the class moving forward. A challenge but at the end of the night it is well work the effort when I see the progress the students have made. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Student Motivation Factors

Hi Denise, Teaching is much like a buffet line. By offering variety you will appeal to the different learning preferences and engage the students. This keeps their interest in the content and class activities. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Wayne, I like your last sentence concerning the bringing of theory and text together for learning. This is what the students need to see because that way they realize that what you are covering with them is of value and has application to their careers. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Drexel, By knowing their motivation you can develop strategies for keeping them excited about the course and moving forward toward their career goals. This is an essential part of offering instructional support. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi John, Right you are. The more knowledge we have about instructional options and our students the better we can blend the learning experiences to better suit their individual needs. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Ronald, The older students have so many life experiences that they can fall back on to relate to the courses they are taking while the younger students are looking for more information to confirm that they have made the right career choice. By blending the two groups you will have an opportunity to help them share their experiences and challenges with each other so both groups can benefit from learning from each other. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Jacenta, I am sure you are going to find that once you have done this you will have greater comprehension on the part of your students because they are working in their preferred cognitive domain thus they are able to internalize the information better. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Lu, Good way to customize your instruction to meet the learning needs of your students. By targeting their learning styles you are enabling them to acquire the needed content and skills leading to success and you have done it through their preferred learning preference. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi John, Good plan in terms of learning from others. Why struggle to create something that has already been done when you can take it and refine it for your own use. This makes it even better. I encourage instructors to be on the lookout for strategies that they can use in their settings to make their instructional delivery stronger and more impacting. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Motivators

Hi Andrew, Good strategy. Money talks and as a result of the conversation money reveals the advantages of working hard as a student so success can be achieved and financial reward accomplished. Gary

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