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

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Tabitha, Great strategy because you are appealing to different senses and different learning pathways. You are correct in that this will increase the retention of content by students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Tabitha, Students want to be involved in the learning process and you make a good point about "hands on" learning. They need to be active learners and not just passive ones if they are going to increase their retention of the content and skills. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructors as Role Models

Laura, It is important for instructors to admit to the mistake and then move on. If an instructor doesn't then that issue tends to hang around and impact future class activities. Thank you for bringing up this point. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Cynthia, Students like variety and change of pace. By offering both you keep the students engaged and appeal to their learning preferences. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Re: Effective Retention Strategies

Cynthia, They do. These stories help to make the content both relevant and have application. This increases the value of what you are telling them and gets them engaged. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Maria, A clear and concise syllabus is valuable for everyone as it informs and keeps everyone on the same page throughout the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using Graphic Organizers

Vicki, They are such a great aid to students and help them to see how to put their material in an organized manner for use later. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Effective Motivation Techniques

Deborah, Students like to hear stories from their instructors about the experiences they have had. These stories help to make the instructor more "real" in their eyes as well as helping the students to see the relevance of what is being taught. You are right about the value of this type of sharing as being very motivational. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor REFOCUS

Deborah, Way to go in helping yourself to redirect as needed to keep a class of this length on course. This is such a good strategy to follow so you do not waste class time and keep the students moving forward. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Jose, I teach from 4 until 10 pm so I can relate to your situation. Yes, it is a long evening that requires a lot of change of pace and variety to keep the students engaged. They are tired from working all day and just want to sit so I get them up moving around, working in small groups, making presentations, etc.. Helps the time to go by but I will say that at 10 pm I am worn out because takes a lot of energy to keep them focused for that long. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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