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

Strategies for Increasing Student Motivation

Georgette, So true and so important in helping students achieve success. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Comprehensive Planning for Instructional Success

Georgette, I am sure you are going to get a lot of good comments from other instructors that have worked through process from novice to experienced instructor. As a long time instructor I will tell you that you will soon start to put your own personality into the curriculum you are teaching. We call this "personalizing" it. You can stay with the standardized content you were given but add personal examples, current events and other components that help you make the course yours. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Stephen, I like and use both of your strategies for engaging students. Bringing in successful graduates is powerful as you know because they are living what the students are going to school to do. As for competition we face competition in everything we do so I work with my students to help them to see how they can "brand" themselves to be more employable. I use a lot of games for review like Family Feud and Jeopardy and the students enjoy playing the games, learning occurs and you are right about attendance and class participation increasing. This is a win… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Reasoning as a Resource

Miriam, Great definition of reasoning. I like the way you have broken out the segments of reasoning so progress can be seen in terms of moving toward the solution of a challenge or problem. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Discipline in Critical Thinking

Miriam, You raise a very good point about being able to walk through solutions steps when faced with a problem or challenge. Critical thinking does take personal discipline because without it decisions may be made that have serious consequences and do not solve the problem. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

Bill, There are many different definitions of common sense but one that makes "sense" to me is the ability to step back, review the situation or problem and then propose solutions that will work in that setting. It may be more of a strategy that helps the problem solver work through the steps of solution in a sequential way. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Critical Thinker Characteristics

Bill, Good strategy because we receive information all of the time that has built in bias, such as advertisements for cars, clothing, etc.. Being able to sort through the information and pulling out the content that is needed by the individual is a skills everyone needs to develop. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Kristen, This is critical for students understand. If they don't they may not be able to transition to the work place and be successful. I bring in guest speakers and tour sites related to the field so they see the "real" aspects of the career they are preparing to enter. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Roberta, So true and such an important part of our educational planning. We need to be organized, prepared and focused on the class meeting so we can set the stage for the learning that will come. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Motivating Learners

Debra, This is a very comprehensive plan for engaging students and helping them to see the value of the content being shared. As you mention this way always touches on the different learning preferences students have and this increases their focus on learning. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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