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

Motivation techniques...

Hi Eric, The question I raised deals with how you develop the instructional delivery that you choose to use for your classes. Is is from observing other instructors, reading about teaching techniques, or some other way you find to identify how you are going to be a quality instructor. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Clarifying Your Expectations To Students

Hi Julie, Good way to start a class. This way the students will know is expected and can prepare mentally for is going to come over the next few weeks. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Robert, Good plan for improving your instructional skills. Often instructors are so exhausted and/or happy that the phase is over they forget to reflect on what has happened in terms of the positives and negatives. Through reflection they can see how they can do things better, differently and more efficiently. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Truitt, Avoiding annoying mannerisms is a constant struggle for public speakers. Once you are aware of them you can focus on eliminating them from your speaking flow. As you have said by slowing down you can get a better grasp of how you present your course content. Other things you can do is to video tape a class and them observe yourself. Sometimes painful though always informative. You can have someone you respect as an instructor sit in on one of your classes and then give you feedback. If you have an educational director or coordinator I would use… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Jack, I commend you on your effort to stay current in your field. This is always a challenge when we get so busy with teaching that we don't have time to talk to those in the industry. What are the methods you have found most helpful to help you stay current? Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Matching Content to Need

Hi Mable, Great to hear! I am excited for you and your success. You are going to be great in the classroom. Keep up the good work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Matching Content to Need

Hi Karl, You are on the right track as you plan for your first class. One suggestion I would make as you talk with your class about why they are there. Develop a one page worksheet with questions on it that the students fill out. This will only take a few minutes and it keeps them focused on the importance of the class. You can ask them to respond to questions about their career goals, motivation and how they see the importance of your class. You will be amazed at the results when you have the students write something down… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Understanding learner characteristics...

H Caleb, Well said. If you know your students it is much easier to develop instructional plans that will meet their learning needs. You gave a good explanation of how that work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Ronald, Good advice for other instructors. Sounds like you really enjoy teaching. Keep up the good work. I know your students are benefiting. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Becoming aware of retention strategies...

Hi Alvin, This is surprising to hear. Generally the students don't want to spend much time in the classroom but want to get out in the lab and do something. One strategy you might try is to do a mini-lecture of 10-15 minutes and then have the students perform lab work related to the lecture content. This way there is content and the application repeated in a pattern. As their knowledge increases and their skills develop they then will want to spend more time in the lab refining their proficient levels. Gary

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