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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Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Jason, When you are telling them about the course expectations what have you found to be the most effective ways to get them to remember those requirements? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivation techniques...

Hi Lisa, Right you are. Students do like to hear these kinds of stories. The mistakes stories generally bring a laugh or two as well. They really help the students to remember your points when you reinforce them with real life examples. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivation techniques...

Hi Charles, You have a good idea. I will be interested in hearing how it works. In other settings this model has worked extremely well and I am sure you and your other instructor are going to be pleased with the results of how your students can learn from each other. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivation techniques...

Hi Brian, You are right that this type of award or something like it might not work for everyone, but something will. The key is to try and find what really captures the interest and motivation of a student and then help them work toward that goal, be it a job, award or personal satisfaction. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivation techniques...

Hi Warren, Thank you for that information. Good ideas about how to keep the students engaged in the process even when they aren't on-site. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi Timothy, You make an excellent point about instructional improvement. The key is recognizing how you can use the different experiences and contact points to expand those skills. In other words, realize when those opportunities arise and then capturing their essence so they can be incorporated into your teaching skill set. That is why your statement about the concrete vs the abstract is so important. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Hi Robert, All those items you listed are good ideas to continue your professional development. Among them what have you found to be the most helpful to you? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Hi John, Right you are. It also helps to reduce confusion and frustration since the information is clearly laid out for the students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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REFOCUS...

Hi David, Well said. The pride of doing well throughout a course is a great reward. By keeping the students focused and excited their self confidence will continue to develop. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Defining Instructional Professionalism

Hi Shawn, Great definition as well as supporting comments about your philosophy. I am sure your students are both inspired and motivated when working with you. Keep up the good work. Gary

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