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 Student Rapport

Brian, Trust and respect need to be present to form the foundation for the development of respect. Your points are good ones in relation to the point you made about letting students know that you care about them and their success. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Increasing Student Retention

William, This is a great way to expand the relationship between what the students are learning and their personal lives. You are showing them that they not only have a skill set but they also are able to share their skills with others when needed. This is the human factor in their career development. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Re: Effective Retention Strategies

Brian, I am a big fan of these stories of application. When you share such a story you are increasing the value of the content for the students. They start to see the relevancy of what is being taught and how it will help them move forward in their career development. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Preparing and Delivering Effective Lectures

Brian, I like guided notes or note packets as they really help students to be able to pick up on the key concepts. Your strategy helps them to be able to get not only the key points but also be able to follow along and focus on what they need to be acquiring in terms of new knowledge. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Learning from Instructor and Student Introductions

Willie, I agree. I enjoy introduction time when I start a new course. I am amazed each time I start a new course at the diverse experiences that my students have had prior to entering the class. I get to learn from them as they from me. This is a win win situation for me. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making Your Expectations Clear

Brian, This is a good strategy to follow and I like the way you focus on the expectations so the students are clear on what they are and how important you see them in terms of course success. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

The Learning Environment Effect

Willie, This is very important because you are right the students need to be able to feel comfortable and at ease if they are going to be able to focus on what is being covered. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Expanding Your Instructional Abilities

Crystal, These are great ways to stay current in your field while expanding your instructional expertise. Having a plan for professional development is a must if an instructor wants to continue to expanding instructional effectiveness. Thank you for sharing this list. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Developing Critical Thinking Skills

Shantel, Your last sentence is right on in terms of the steps students need to be competent in if they are going to develop their critical thinking abilities. Many of today's students want to just jump into the answer to a problem without using the thought process to see if the solution is even close to being the right one. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Critical Thinker Characteristics

Dixie, Thank you for these good points on how we can help our students to become critical thinkers. I think your list of needed abilities are right on. If we can help our students integrate these steps into their minds they will be able to approach, analyze and solve problems in their future career areas. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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