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

Understanding learner characteristics...

Hi Michael, Well said. If students aren't sure of how they are doing in the course or feel that they can't succeed then they are going to be frustrated and drop out. By knowing they are gaining new skills and knowledge plus succeeding in meeting the course requirements they will be confident of their future in the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Nikki, This is the challenge for many students. Finding the right word to describe the object or situation. They have stored to work describing the situation or object and have stored the definition of the situation or object. They just can't retrieve them together. This is a form of aphasia which commonly occurs when an individual is under stress. What instructors need to do is to create memory strategies for students so they can see the association between the definition and the object. This helps to create a bridge for the learner. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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The Learning Environment Effect

Hi Ahmad, By being aware of how you can influence learning through a positive environment you will be able to establish a setting that will keep the students focused and engaged in learning. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Matching Content to Need

Hi Jeff, I wish you the best as you start your new career as an educator. Hope these courses will be of help to you as you get going. If you have any specific questions or if I can be of any help to you please let me know. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivation techniques...

Hi Daniel, In support of your remarks instructors need to develop two things with their students. Respect and rapport. Respect means the students realize your experience and expertise and that you are willing to share it with them. Rapport is on the human level where the students see that you are doing everything that you can to help them succeed. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Matching Content to Need

Hi Teresa, As you know students like to play games. These games really help with knowledge acquisition as they get to use course content in different settings. Helps them with retention and application. Good job! Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding learner characteristics...

Hi Kerry, What are some strategies that you use to help you understand the characteristics of your students better? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding learner characteristics...

Hi Phillipp, You are correct about needing to know something about your students. The more you know the more opportunities you have to target the learning needs of these individuals. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi James, The blending of tactile activities with cognitive learning is a great way of incorporating different learning aspects. Good job. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

REFOCUS...

Hi Jose, Great idea! You captured the interest of your students and engaged everyone because they never knew where the ball would go next. Students like activities that require movement as well as thinking. This exercise involves both. Gary

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