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

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Lima, You have developed a very ladder system for learning. The students are going vertical and well as lateral as they progress through the course. In combination this gives them a lot of new information to internalize and make a part of their knowledge development. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Leonard, Great to hear about your expertise expansion. I know you are going to enjoy the results of engaging your students even more with these different delivery strategies. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Margeaux, Great question about cognitive processing of written material. The answer from my research on cognitive processing the past 30 years is it depends on the individual. My work in the area of multiple intelligence assessment has shown me that a person that has input via written word, may do an internal auditory perception, may do a visual perception (turn words into pictures) or tactile perception (words into mental action). This is why it is important to offer content in a variety of ways so that the students will learn how to receive information in different venues and then be… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Holly, Good strategy. This saves a lot of time and frustration on the part of everyone. Be clear. Be concise. Be consistent. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Katherine, This sounds like a fun activity that gets the students thinking about which group they are in and what their instructor is going to be like during the upcoming course. Thanks for sharing it with us. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making a Positive First Impression

Stephen, Well said. The first impression sets the tone for the class that is to come so we instructors need to make sure it is a positive one for sure. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Yvette, First, identify what your style is. You may be one that does not interact with the students and prefers to lecture all the time, for example. To enhance your instructional style you could look for different ways to deliver the content and engage the students. You could expand your role to be that of a mentor or a learning coordinator using the Q&A format. The key is to project your personality into the classroom and see how the students respond. Then make adjustments as needed so you can increase their motivation and learning. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Claudette, Good plan and one that enables your students to work in their different learning preferences. As you say you are reaching the majority of them throughout the course as you use these varied deliveries. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Ellen, Good professional development plan. I wish you much success in your graduate work and teaching. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Terie, Your last sentence says it all. They need to see relevancy if they are to attach value to what is being taught. I teach a required course and face the same challenges as you in terms of them see application of the content. When they do it is an "ah-ha" moment for everyone. Gary Dr. Gary Meers

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