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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Matching Content to Need

Hi Jeff, This is what makes your instruction real. Your students will see what you are teaching them is applicable to their careers. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivation techniques...

Hi Gerald, It does. I am always looking for additional information about how instructors develop rapport with their students. You have developed an excellent strategy for making the connection between yourself and your students. Keep up the good work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Clarifying Your Expectations To Students

Hi Jane, What a great way to get the students excited about the upcoming course. You do a really good job of setting the stage. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Michael, This will be very beneficial for you. I would suggest before doing an observation you develop a check list of things you want to be looking for. This will help you to focus on certain areas as the class flows and you will make sure you don't forget to look at all of the aspects of how the instructor conducts the class. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making Instruction Relevant

HI Dina, You made a key point when you mentioned students seeing and hearing other students' perspectives on course content. This really helps them to internalize the content and then make application of it in ways they had not thought of before. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Dina, Well said. This is why it is so important that we instructors know the intelligences of our students. If we know how they internalize and process information then we can plan more accurately to target those areas. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Clarifying Your Expectations To Students

Hi Samantha, Good strategy. This really helps to create a connection between what you are trying to do and what the students need to do for success in your course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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The Learning Environment Effect

Hi Samantha, You are right about the learning environment needing to be supportive. Everything from the lighting to the seating arrangement it has to be in the best interest of the students and their learning. You have two strikes against you when you start the class if these things are taken care of. I have taught in some extremely challenging settings and have found that if I can keep the students focused on the outcomes we can survive the environment even though it is hard. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Samantha, Through these observations of both the great and the less that good instructors you can formulate a clear idea of what you want your own professional delivery to be like. Good professional development plan. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Kenneth, I know exactly what you are facing with the length of your classes. I teach two 3 hour block classes starting at 4 in the afternoon and going until 10 at night. My students are tired after a day at work. I use many of the examples you listed in my classes. I keep the students moving by lecturing, putting them into groups, and then having them do role play, etc. You are doing a great job with your strategies. I do know like you that when 10:01 pm comes I am tired. But, I look forward to… >>>

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