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

Increasing Student Retention

Toni, Good point about student retention. Yes, it is their future that they are preparing for. They have to assume responsibility and put forth effort. Neither of these two elements can be done by anyone else so the more this can be reinforced to the students the better. They need to have "buy-in" from the beginning. Without they are going to fail and reinforce to themselves that they are failures. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Ramon, I do the same. Even though I have a well prepared syllabus I also give out a one page summary of the grading rubric, due dates, and required projects. I put the handout on colored paper so it will stand out and I refer to the handout throughout the course so the students will be refreshed about upcoming assignments. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Efrain, Good way to lay out a foundation for your students and your approach is dead on. We are all human and we do make mistakes and as a result we all can grow and learn from our mistakes. When we make a mistake in one of our classes we can use it as a teachable moment with our students and go from there. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Ron, The more you can incorporate real life experiences into your courses the better. I am sure you have noticed that once you present a concept and then share an experience to support it the students really perk up. My students are ready to raise questions after I share an experience with them because they an see the value of the content I have just shared and they want to make sure they have the concepts integrated into their working memory. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Instruction Relevant

Carl, Thank you for these comments on the value that can be derived from using a pretest. Pretesting gives you much insight into the current group of students and how you can plan for their instructional needs. You have a comprehensive approach to your instructional planning and this increases the value of the course to the students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Ross, Great to hear and I know you are going to continue to expand your expertise and instructional delivery to benefit of all your students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Daniel, Your multiple step approach is a good one because it reinforces the content that is being taught in several ways. The application of the content and then having the students teach it to each other really helps them to internalize what they need to know. At this point they should feel very confident in the know they have acquired. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Teaching to Multiple Intelligences

Susan, Using learning groups like this is an effective way to keep all students engaged and moving forward in the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Irina, Good strategy and one that I know your students will value. The human factor in teaching is as important as the content delivery for many students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Adapting Your Instructional Strategy

Ross, Great to hear about how you are integrating both kinds of teaching into your courses. Foundational knowledge is created with semantic/rote memory and then application is made through episodic connections in memory. You are doing a good job integrating both for your students. Pharmacology is a course that is enhanced when both are used as you are finding out. I wish you continued success in your teaching. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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