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

Matching Content to Need

Hi Mark, Good pacing. By breaking up the sessions such as you are you are giving your students a chance to reset their brains and then go back to learning. Immediate use of newly acquired knowledge really helps with retention. The lecture and then discussion is a good strategy for this. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding learner characteristics...

Hi Ira, That is a key point you make. Knowledge of learning styles and preferences help the students to acquire the information and you with your planning. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Kim, The key to knowledge acquisition is having the ability to intake. organize and store the new information. Once that is done then there must be a strategy for retrieving the information if it is going to be of value to the learner. You comments reinforce the fact that you have these concepts down and will be able to set your lessons up with maximum learning opportunities. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Clarifying Your Expectations To Students

Hi David, By having a syllabus that is clear and comprehensive you save a lot of time since the policies and requirements of the course are outlined. You can focus on answering the many questions that come up from the content of the course and that is where you want to spend most of your time and energy. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Clarifying Your Expectations To Students

Hi Robert, You just outlined some of the key reasons why people become teachers. The opportunity to work with others, share knowledge and watch growth. Plus, you get to start a new group of students every phase and see how they react to learning the content and developing the skills that you are sharing. This is what makes it worth while. Keep up the good work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Joseph, Welcome back. Thank you for sharing these professional growth ideas with the participants. Feedback both from students and fellow faculty is always helpful. I try and get feedback from my students throughout the course phase that way I get a much more accurate picture of how the course is going. I find the end of the course evaluations aren't really that helpful since the students tend to reflect and respond to what is happening right then and there rather than responding to the activities of the whole course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Hi David, Well said. I know your students benefit from the fact that they know that you care about their success in your class. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Hi Dorian, Good idea and a great way to use your subject area as a means to get to know your students. Instead of using an "icebreaker" in your class you are using an "artbreaker" as a means of getting to know your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivation techniques...

Hi Kimberly, I commend you for the excellent job you are doing with offering challenging and informative instruction through a number of different venues so your students have learning options. Good luck with the gland section of your course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Becoming aware of retention strategies...

Hi Kimberly, I like your attitude about your class. You are right about the motivation factor. This is a goal all instructors should strive for. Students should look forward to coming to class and all of the activities and learning that will occur within it. Keep up the good work. Gary

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