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

Motivating Learners

Hi Nastassia, Good points all. You have to keep the students engaged and focused and your approach is making that happen. Keep up the good work. You are making a difference in the lives of your students. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Hi Susan, Good strategy in using your career experiences to illustrate key concepts in the course. Students as you know really like these stories. I use them a lot because they are remembered in connection with the content that was just presented plus there is some entertainment value in hearing these stories in this context. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Michele, I like your idea of using more role playing to enhance retention. I use case studies and role playing a lot in my classes and my students really get engaged in the process. They feel they get a lot of take away from these activities. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Hi Richard, This is a great way to open up a new class. You are laying it out for easy understanding on the part of the students. Good use of graphics like your chart really helps. Keep up the good work. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Hi Dianne, Your course sounds like it is very effective as well as fun. You are offering a variety of instructional deliveries that keeps your students engaged and focused, which are two critical elements of teaching success. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Kevin, All of these methods are ways to engage the students and keep them focused on the forward progression of the course. This is what effective instruction is all about. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Hi Susan, Good way to start a class off. This icebreaker lets everyone get settled into the course and develop comfort with how the class is going to operate. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Hi Dianne, I take this same approach because the classroom is a professional setting and thus that is what we should share. By sharing your professional experiences you are giving the students insight to what a career in this field is going to be like and that is what the goal should be. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivation Through Relevancy and Application

Hi Sandy, I understand your concern about their not seeing the future value of the interview with perspective employers. They are so ingrained to think like students they need to see point or grade values related to everything they do. I don't worry about that part of it. I give them the points because they do the work, get ready for the interviews so I get the behavior I want and they get the points they want. It is a win win for everyone. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Sandy, This is a good way to check for understanding and to reintroduce the concept as the student explains his/her understanding so the class has heard it twice, once from you and once from the student. This really helps with content retention. Gary

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