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

Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Shari, You make a good point about electives. Having never taught an elective course I am always faced with a new class of students that for the most part don't want to be there. Having students that have elected to take your course must be enjoyable because you can plan your instruction in a way that validates their choice of taking the course. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Hi Val, Students like variety so the more change of pace and delivery you can offer them the greater the opportunity there is to keep them engaged. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivating Learners

Hi Carl, I start by first talking individually with the students that have such attitudes. I try to learn from them why they feel they way they do. Then I ask for their help in making the course better fit their needs. This request often results in their taking a more active role in the course because they have been asked to play a part in the course. If they still retain such an attitude I treat them as I do all other students but I concentrate on my students that are invested in the course because they are the… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Creating Personal Support Systems

Hi Vivian, Good way to start the class off. This way you learn about the students and they learn about each other. This sets the stage for the upcoming course in a comfortable and supportive way. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Making a Positive First Impression

Hi Denise, So important and so true! Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Being Successful in College

Hi George, Good point. Students can have some fear as they start a new course because that helps them to really listen and try to determine what is going to be required and how they can be successful in the course. This way their fear becomes an asset because they don't just lay back and let the course come to them, they look for ways to accomplish what is required. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Accommodating Learner Preferences

Hi Alicia, Sharing stories about the field and experiences you have had working really help to show the students application and relevancy. They like to see what the end results are going to be with their newly acquired knowledge and these stories really help to do that. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Hi Stacy, I know you are going to enjoy enhanced learning in your students as a result of these efforts. You are going to be more connected with your students and they with both you and the content. This is what learning is about. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Larry, Thank you for the background information about yourself and your technical field. This gives me an understanding of where your question is coming from. Not sure I can answer it though due to the subject matter you are offering but I will give you some suggestions about formatting. Take your lesson plans and see how they unfold in your mind for the class and then determine how much time you will spend on each topic. If your students have a lot of questions about a topic then determine that you will spend a set amount of time on… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Effective Motivation Techniques

Hi Ines, Thank you for the excellent comments about how to find balance in teaching while earning the respect of the students. This is a critical element of teaching and cannot be lost or the students will start to disengage from the course. Gary

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