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

Developing Clear Goals and Objectives

Katherine, Right you are because clear goals and objectives gets everyone looking toward what will be and what it is going to take to achieve the shared goals and objectives. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Katherine, Thank you for these comments about the necessity for planning and the the use of scaffolding. This is how the ladder of knowledge is climbed and the skills acquired. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Shelley, What some ways that you do this? Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Student Motivation Factors

Daniel, Like your approach on how to establish a positive learning environment. I try always keep in mind that adults are just taller children. I use a number of similar activities, such as Jeopardy and my students become involved and competitive very quickly. I am always amazed at how hard they will work for Dollar store prize. They have fun and then are surprised at how much they have actually learned in the process. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Student Rapport

Jeffery, Like the way you define how rapport works and what the benefits from it are. This is such important part of the total teaching process. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Human Factor in Retention

Kirk, This shows that you value your students and care enough about them to learn their names and something about them personally. This is the beginning of earning their respect and the development of rapport and that leads to increased student engagement. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Understanding Learner Characteristics

Kirk, I use pretesting in all of my courses so I can get a base line on my incoming students. By having this baseline I can then customize my content and delivery to meet the needs of these students in a personal and engaging way. You are going to like the results you get from using pretesting due to the insight it will give you. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Rachel, Students like change of pace and variety in their instructional delivery and you are going both with your approach. Sounds like your classes are fun, engaging and growth producing for your students. Keep up this great effort. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Amy, This first impression is the foundation upon which the rest of the course builds so it is important that it is a good one. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Rachel, You make a very important point. They need to create a vision for themselves of their future and how their "career" can be a part of it. This is what will motivate them to put forth the needed effort for success. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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