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

Motivating Learners

Hi Duane, You have to get the students to become invested in what they are learning and to see the outcome from their effort. You are doing all of this through your approach to instruction and the develop of student rapport. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Susan, Great approach to teaching. Your attitude shows through to your students that you are a caring and supportive instructor. By offering different styles of instructional delivery you are enabling your students to expand their learning abilities and develop skill in working with others. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Hi Kim, This is a very good point. By tying in both the emotional and skill aspects of career development you are preparing the total person rather than just one part. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Anthony, Thank you for sharing these references. This information will help instructors to see how they can facilitate the learning of this student sector. Also, how they can work with this group while including non-traditional learners in the educational process as well. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi Kim, Good point about the need for a well developed syllabus. The syllabus becomes a document of understanding between the students and yourself and this really helps to reduce issues related misunderstandings. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Amy, What a great outlook on professional development. You have a diverse strategy for being an instructional development expert (IDE). A quote I really like to use as an educator is "The beginning of understanding begins with the willingness to listen." Listening is a valuable tool for all educators because through listening they know what direction they should take their classes based upon student dynamics. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Hi Amy, What kind of introduction format do you use to get your class started? What kinds of "ice breakers" do your students like best? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Developing Clear Goals and Objectives

Hi Maggie, Also, by having the course objectives the students can see how far they have come from the beginning of the course and how many skills they have developed. They need this refresher at times during the course so they don't get to worn down forget why they enrolled in the course in the first place. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Hi Marie, Good point about teaching in a variety of ways. An additional benefit of using a of variety of ways of offering instruction is that it keeps your interest high as you are working on selecting additional activities that you can use in your course. This keeps you from getting into a rut with your teaching and helps you stay fresh. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Marie, The reason the older students question theory applications more is due to life experiences against which they measure the content to which they are currently being exposed. They also hit the "delete" button quicker because they have stored a lot of material in their brains already and are more selective about what they take in. With all of the outside influences in their lives and their extensive experiences they see episodic connections in their memories as being the most valuable and most worth retaining. This is why relevancy and application are essential for older learners as lessons are… >>>

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