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

Supporting Problem Solving Skills

Seth, Yes, they are. The more they are practiced and used the more they integrated into the long term memory banks of the students for use when needed. So a distribution of these activities to help the students gain the discipline needed to be problem solvers will get them much closer to being problem solvers in their careers. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Defining Intelligence

David, Well said and a very good working definition of intelligence. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Defining Intelligence

Seth, Like the way you approach defining intelligence. Intelligence to me is only as valuable as the outcomes you can get from using it. Your example illustrates this point well and this is why some chefs go on to higher levels and others just ride their careers out. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Discipline in Critical Thinking

David, This is where self discipline comes in and for many students the gain from this effort is not worth the investment of their time and effort. Once they see the value of self discipline they start to realize that they in fact can be successful problem solvers. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

David, You make a good point about how younger learners see problem solving. A quick search is enough to get the information needed rather that spending the time to think through possible solutions and theories that will get them to the desired outcome. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Lucille, I am sure your students were totally engaged as a result of the information that this person was sharing. This makes instruction come alive and ramps up their understanding of relevance of content. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Rick, You have a wide range of expertise when it comes to instructional engagement and I appreciate you sharing it with us. These strategies will be helpful to other instructors that are just starting their teaching careers. You make a very good point about moving the students from being passive learners to being active participants. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using Graphic Organizers

Dawn, Thanks for these comments about how to use graphic organizers and the value you see from providing guided notes. I know this information will be valuable to other instructors as they select strategies to expand their instructional expertise. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Dawn, Students like change of pace and variety as you know from your teaching experience. So the more you can appeal to their different learning preferences the more engaged they will be. You are doing this with your strategies and I am sure the results is engaged students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Jennifer, This is a sign of respect for students and in turn earns their respect. They see you care enough about them to learn their names quickly and this is a sign that you are there to help them be successful in the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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