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.

Activity

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

Hi Jeff, Good point about acceptance. It is very hard for older students to come back to school. They are worried that they won't be successful and that increases their anxiety level. By knowing they are being accepted at the level they are and that their instructor will be supportive they get settle into the course and feel they can succeed. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Robyn, Your "reading" of your students is a great way to get connected to them. You are focusing on how they react to your delivery and the content which in turn tells you how and where to reinforce key concepts. This enhances learning opportunities in a variety of different ways. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Lani, Good way to reinforce the content. You are giving your students several different ways to "get" the content. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Increasing Student Retention

Hi Hans, Good points about the need to be prepared. It is so much easier to teach when you are ready to do it. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Role Models

Hi Carol, Good approach. This is an important concept because the students will soon be in the work world so they need to have not only the knowledge and skills but also the "soft skills" needed to successful in their careers. Treating the classroom like a job is a good way to help them learn these skills. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Aquila, Good way to create a solid information base for your students. They know from the first day the course expectations and then they can work to achieve those expectations due to the clarity of your information. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Students as Class Members

Hi Rachel, Good way to start a class. When students can see application and relevancy they become engaged at a much higher rate. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Sharing Comprehensive and Clear Course Requirements

Hi Robyn, Good way to make sure that all of the students understand the course objectives and have an idea of what the expectations are for them. This helps them to get settled into the course and prepared to learn. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Blog

Using Surveys to Indentifiy Student Knowledge

Using a survey composed of a serious of questions about the course content at the beginning of the course can be a valuable instructional planning aid. By knowing the knowledge and/or skill sets that the students are bringing into the course you will be able to "customize" you instruction to more accurately target their learning. Content serveys can give a picture of the understanding your students have about the course you teach and how they are going to fit within that course. Also, it lets you see their communication abilities, another valuable insight to have as you plan the selection… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Bruno, Good strategy for helping the students to see the content in a context that makes sense to them. Gary

End of Content