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

Offering Varied Instructional Delivery

Hi Chris, Great way to meet the needs of your students. What are some of the successes you have had in offering your instruction is the different learning style areas? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Being Successful in College

Hi Rebekah, You have a great way of establishing your presence with your students. By telling them of your own experiences you establish that you have worked hard to get where you are and that you understand where they are at in their own career development. Your offer of support lets them know that you are going to be there for them when they need help and encouragement. These strategies cover both the intellectual and emotional aspects of being a student. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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The Learning Environment Effect

Hi Jason, Excellent point. If students can see application, transference, and relevancy in what they are studying then you are doing a great job of instructing them. They are going to have to know and use these three words when they are out in the field so the sooner they get comfortable with them and see how they work then the quicker they are going to see the big picture. That is how chefs are developed and become successful. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Bryan, You nailed it with your statement "variety is the key" because it really is. This is how you keep your students engaged and focused on the course content. Sounds like you have a number of strategies that you use to keep them invested in the course and what you are offering them. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Jason, This is great to hear. I always enjoy hearing about the successes of instructors and how they get excited about doing something different and using something new in their teaching. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Jimly, Work on breaking the scientific methods down into small "chunks" of information or application and you will do well as an instructor. Students need to internalize the new information and they can do that in small bites of new knowledge. Use review techniques frequently to check for understanding and this way you will know if your students are "getting it" in terms of new knowledge. If they aren't you then can break the information down even smaller and work from there. You will be surprised that how much easier this gets once you have taught the course a… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Student Motivation Factors

Hi Charles, Great point concerning transference of success. Once success is gained in a required course and they see that that success can be used in other courses it is like a landslide of "ah-ha" moments start to occur. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Claudia, Good way to get the class started and by having a little fun you are setting the social climate for the course. This really helps to get the students invested in the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding Learner Characteristics

Hi Daniel, Good way of establishing a base line of knowledge on your students. By knowing this as you say you can direct your instruction to their needs. I do this with my students and it really helps me to target my instruction and saves much frustration on both the students and my part because we are in concert with each other. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Charles, I can really appreciate what you are experiencing with your students and the subject you teach. I teach required courses as well and they are a challenge when it comes to getting the students invested in the courses. Is it possible to develop writing exercises around the different career areas the students are entering? This way they can see exactly how important good communication skills are going to be for them. Gary

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