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

Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Roberta, First welcome to our profession. You are going to have a great career as an educator. Be prepared both with your syllabus, course requirements and your first day and you will be fine. A positive first impression can be made by being professional with your opening of the class and then have your method of introduction laid clearly. I would suggest that you have an ice breaker that you can use with the students as a part of the introductions. The ice breaker will give you a chance to size up the class, get settled in and help… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Kerstin, In a sense you answered your own question about how to get ramped up for a course that you really don't care that much about. The key has been for me as well as yourself as mentioned in your forum comment is to find different sections of the course that can get you excited. The other suggestion I would have is to try different kinds of instructional delivery techniques for the course. I have found that these different techniques get me excited because I want to see how they are going to turn out even if I'm not… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Hi Charles, You make a good point about the need for course preparation but I would suggest that with your rich background and life experiences you have a lot of the planning already completed if you bring those experiences into the classroom. By connecting these life experiences with your course content you are going to be able to target the needs of your students and then you can concentrate on specific areas that need your preparation efforts. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Terry, Reinforcement through the two ways you mentioned are very important. The personal greeting shows the students that your are welcoming to them each day and then praise for their work shows the growth they are experiencing. This keeps students engaged in the learning process. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Hi Debra, The human brain likes variety so by offering a variety of instructional techniques you are going to as you say "hit the target". Good point and this is a philosophy we need to teach by so we can have the maximum impact on the lives of our students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Debra, Good way to express this very important need for instructors. By "listening with your eyes" you are able to anticipate what you need to do to keep the students focused and on target in the course. This will help the students to see relevancy and application. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Vicki, They should. I use them the first night of my class for several ice breaker activities as well as later in the course when we are doing strategy planning. By making and seeing them on the way the students really remember the content on the sheets. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Bonita, Great complement to your instructional style. When students start to ask for stories it sends a very clear message that you are sharing something that is interesting and of value to them. Keep up the good work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Vicki, Way to go with making the course relevant to the lives of your students. This is what it is all about. If you can help them create a connection between the classroom and their lives they will be more apt to complete the course as you know. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Hi Stanley, Good way to create that important connection that is needed for the development of rapport. Gary

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