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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Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi Seth, You make a good point about the importance of well prepared syllabus. It is a must if it is going to accomplish what we want it to. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructors as Role Models

Hi Seth, Good way to operate in your class. The students need to experience what the "real" world is like. They also get to see how customer service should be delivered. As we all know many businesses lack in this critical element. The more our students develop skill in this area the more successful they are going to be upon graduation. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Marilyn, Great way of expressing what professionalism is to you. I agree completely. We all need to practice the points you have made. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Janine, Good question. I wouldn't worry about coming across as being too nice. I would concentrate on getting across the expectations, requirements and polices of the course. By sharing these you will be establishing to the students how you are going to conduct the course. This will help them to see you as the class manager not a buddy. Also, follow through with what you say you will do and enforce the rules you set. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Anthony, Good plan for having a very successful first day of class. By creating a positive first impression you have set the stage for getting the students settled into the course and ready to experience the upcoming instruction. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Becoming aware of retention strategies...

Hi Jeff, You make a number of good points on how to be clear with students concerning course expectations, goals and objectives. I want to reinforce the point about using bullet points. This is a great way to get students focused in on what they really need to know. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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REFOCUS...

Hi Rachel, Right you about the need to refocus and get the students excited about the course when they start to get worn down. I like your idea of using empowering activities to get their energy level back up so they are ready for home stretch. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Mill, Right you are. That is both the challenge and excitement about teaching. It is work to keep up to date but never boring because each class brings new students and new experiences. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Jason, I agree with your comments and how you approach the classroom. Preparation and planning are essential to teaching success. By letting the student experiment in learning through trial and error learning you are helping to build retention in their minds about how to handle future situation. The beauty of trial and error learning is that in a sense it is low risk, since they have you there to back them up with the right solution in case they don't find it themselves. This really helps to build self confidence when they are out on their own without any… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Mill, Your comments about keeping a balance between class management and compassion are good. My experience has been that if I am fair and consistent with my expectations and requirements then the students respect me. While they are in class I try to support and encourage them on a regular basis. This helps me to establish rapport with them. With respect and rapport they know I care about their success so the work hard to be successful in the course. As a result when they come to me with a situation or in need of some understanding they know… >>>

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