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

Effective Retention Strategies

Hi Sandra, Thanks for sharing this great strategy with us. This is a win win for everyone. They develop knowledge and skill in creating a resume as well as skills in working with each other. As we all know they are going to need these skills in the workplace if they are going to be successful in their careers. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Instructors as Role Models

Hi Tammy, Good points about professionalism. Displaying professionalism helps the students to develop their own professionalism in relation to their field. The "soft skills" are as important to career success as are the specific skills and knowledge. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Lauren, "Reading" the students is a critical part of teaching success. You are doing that throughout the class session as evidenced by your forum comments. This way you can target your instruction and provide the support your students need to be engaged and focused on learning. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Hi Amber, Good point. The fun part about being a teacher is there are never two class meetings that are the same. The challenging part of being a teacher is there are never two class meetings that are the same. We have to be flexible and have the ability to adapt our delivery to meet the needs of the day. If we don't it makes for a very difficult class for everyone. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Motivating Learners

Hi Christopher, Good strategies about how to motivate students. You should be able to capture their attention and then share your excitement about the field with them as you proceed through the course. Passion goes a long way in selling the idea that through hard work and effort the students can have a successful career much like your own. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Hi Jeremiah, I agree concerning making your own PPs. I find the textbook PPs don't fit my style of presentation or class flow. By making my own (yes they are a lot of work) I can really focus in on what I want my students to know. Also once they are developed you can review them and make additions as needed so the time commitment is greatly reduced. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Hid Jeremiah, Good example of how to use animals and their behavior as a part of the instructional process to show comparisons with humans. I am sure this catches the attention of the students and once you have their attention you are on your way to having a great class. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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Your Instructional Style

Hi Jillian, What subject(s) do you teach? With some additional information maybe we can come up with some hands-on activities that will fit in your classroom. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Hi Patricia, As I greatly enjoy hearing about the lives of others I know I would enjoy hearing some of your stories about the experiences you have had in the nursing field. Having been in the military your experiences are going to be even more dramatic I am sure. By sharing these stories I know you are able to capture the attention of your students while showing them the value of your course content. Gary

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Reasons for Enrolling

Hi Kim, What a great example of showing value to what seems to be a course with no connection to their major. By learning how important accounting is to criminal justice you are showing them that you are helping them to add more content to their preparation. The guest speakers helped to make the connection while capturing their attention through the stories they told. These are valuable motivation tools. Gary

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