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

Making Instruction Relevant

Tracy, Good strategy in developing the piping skill set. You are showing both application and relevance of your area within the culinary arts field. This way the students can see value to what they are being asked to learn and use. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Tracy, The pause is a powerful instructional tool that many instructors don't use. We are a culture of noise and action. To pause for a ten count lets the students go to their storage unit and retrieve the needed information. Also, I have found that with this method I get more participation from students since those that take a little longer in their processing can contribute since they have time to get the needed answer to the question. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Holt, Good strategy for getting to know your students and then developing your curriculum around them. This lets you target your instruction more accurately and is supportive to your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Student Feedback

Linda, What are the ways you get feedback from your students? Always looking for different student feedback methods that instructors can use. Thanks for your input on this. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Drieca, You are the kind of instructor I like to be around. You like your field and are thrilled to share your expertise with your students. This really has impact on them as you know. Keep up the good work as you are impacting lives with each class you teach. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

Drieca, Great way to learn more about your students while giving them early success in the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

James, Good check for understanding and application. This gets the students involved in critical thinking at a higher level. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Alisa, Is it possible to build some competition into the course? Like using a Jeopardy game format or Family Feud. The key is to get them involved in challenging each other in terms of a review or group problem solving activity. I know kinesiology is foundational so sometimes it isn't seen as being the most engaging but with some competition, your enthusiasm and some fun you can get them ramped up even more. I wish you much success in your efforts. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using Graphic Organizers

Christina, Thank you for sharing this perspective. It is critical that adult learners have some format and/or strategy through which they can capture and then retain new information. The more accurately they can do this the greater their success is going to be which in turn generates increased satisfaction as learners. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Mike, You are right on with your strategy. Immediate use of newly acquired knowledge helps to "seal the deal" in terms of content retention. They are going to be able to build on your feedback and continue to improve and expand their abilities in food preparation. Gary

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