Customer Reviews

The Motivation Breakthrough

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I purchased this book for strategies to help my daughter stay motivated in a new school program. Like Lavoie's previous book, It's So Much Work to Be York Friend, The Motivation Breakthrough is clear and digestible for parents.

For quickly assessing a child's motivational type and finding the targeted ideas for their type, begin in chapter three (at p. 107 in the hardcover edition), then skip to the relevant chapter for the child's type.

We found the book so useful that we bought additional copies for our daughter's teacher and the library of our school district's gifted and talented association.

Dr. Lavoie again shows keen insight into the plight of America's learning disabled students. His opinions are often controversial, but always thought provoking. In this book, he addresses not only the needs of the learning diabled child, but also the professional educator and parent. He is not afraid to challenge us to re-evaluate our view of the role of teacher, and by challenging us, compells us to reassess what dynamic teaching is all about.
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who deals with a non-compliant student or child, and learn the difference between motivation and behavior modification. It's definitely a must for all special education teachers!

This is a book that is similar to the ones about learning style, personality types, and "love languages." It follows the same pattern. It discusses the importance of finding out the strengths, likes and dislikes of kids, how they interact with other people and with the information they are given in school. It talks about what motivates different people, and how to tell what motivates certain children, so that you can use that to encourage compliance and participation. It is not written in highly technical language. So it is parent friendly. I had a tough time with the first 3 chapters. I didn't think the author was ever going to stop talking about himself! Also, he had one example in the 1st three chapters that I found disturbing, and it hung over the rest of the reading. He goes on and on about how important it is to find what motivates adults and children to change. I mean on and on. Then he goes into an example of a teacher who would take recess away for a student. He has a talk with her. She doesn't change. So he just writes in the special education plan that the teacher can't take away recess for the student anymore. Now, I agree with the idea that taking away recess is ineffective. But, if he tried to find out what motivated the teacher, and tried to do something to bring about a change (thereby keeping her from doing it to another student) he obviously failed. So did he try other things that didn't work? Or did he just not trust his own concepts enough to try them? It seems like that situation should have been used to back up his idea on how this whole concept works. Or just leave it out of the book. Because, as I read the rest of the book, I kept wondering if I could trust it to work if he didn't (or if he did, he didn't include how he tried it in this example.) Overall, the book has some good ways to find out what motivates a child, and then gives ideas on how to use that information to help the child reach their potential. The book contains a lot of snippets about teacher/student problems. Like the "I have to go to the bathroom" question. Then it gives this laundry list of ways teachers deal with it. Then, his solution is "just let my people go". Serioulsy, that is how he ended the chapter. If a kid says they have to go to the bathroom, let them go whenever they ask. Uh, ok. But does he need to take 15 pages to say that? I gave the book 3 stars, because if you skip the author's self indulgent chapters (1-3) and go straight to the ways to sort out the childs styles and cross read those in the chapters that give information on each type it is a good useable resource.

There is always a child whose behaviour/reactions are the cause for extra concern;not only from the educator's viewpoint but also from parent's and even that child's own. This book helps us to understand why things might be going wrong in a child's life and proposes solutions that really work.It has enabled a child I work with to gain a grip on his behaviour through facilitating a greater understanding of the way his mind ticks amongst the adults involved in his life.It could help you crack that case that is making you feel like you just don't know enough...seeing the tremendous change in this particular child's life has done it for me!

My big issue with The Motivation Breakthrough is that its subtitle, "6 Secrets to Turning On the Tuned-Out Child," makes it appear as if this book is for: (1) parents of kids with learning issues, or (2) education professionals. This book is a must read for ALL parents!

The majority of the book discusses six ways (they're all "P" words) that kids can be motivated. Want a list of ways to organize a good Project? What are characteristics of a good teacher/student (People) relationship? What are the pitfalls of Praise and how can it be given effectively? Why are most Prize systems destined to fail but how can they become a help rather than a hindrance to learning? How can you cultivate leadership skills in a child motivated by Prestige or Power?

...and those are just the high-level points. What might teachers learn from sports coaches? How can you better say "I'm proud of you?" Why is Pokemon so fascinating to children? Why should an allowance be unrelated to doing chores? What are unique ways to show affection? I could go on and on. This book provides an astonishing amount of insight and real-life tips for any parent or teacher.

Lavoie writes clearly and his points are well-organized. This is not just a book to read, but to buy; you'll want to flag, highlight, take notes in it, and refer to it often.

Rick Lavoie uses his many years of administrative and personal experiences to help the rest of us who have to teach and live with others who have special needs. After all, each of us has special needs and by making the world a better and more forgiving place for the "disabled", we're making it a better world for all of us! Rick uses anecdotes and specific strategies that really work. This book is well worth the price and definitely worth the time spent reading it. It deserves to be in everyone's library.

My son (now 15) has what we believe to be is a variation of nonverbal learning disability and I've read countless books over the years. After reading Rick's first book, I attended a workshop that he provided in our area and found him to be an exceptional speaker as well as writer. I also just read this latest book and it's one of the best I've read to date from any clinician, educator, etc. In my opinion, everyone should read this. It applies not only to children with "issues" but to everyone out there. Whether you're a parent, teacher, or manager/employer, it provides tremendous insight into how to truly reach people and also debunks the myth of laziness/lack of motivation. Rick Lavoie is a gift, especially to parents and teachers.

I am so glad I ordered this book. Last year, my child had great difficulty in school. She subsequently repeated the grade this year, however with a different teacher. She is doing much better this year. Although some of the differences were very obvious, this book opened my eyes to the subtle differences that revealed just how much of an uphill struggle my child faced last year. I've read a few reviews of this book, claiming the advice is elementary or basic. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of teachers out there who should read and follow the principles of this book. The first two-thirds of the book even seem to be aimed more towards teachers than parents. Just reading this book reinforced my belief that my daughter was placed in the absolutely worst possible situation last year vs the best possible situation this year. I found myself nodding in agreement as I read all of the bad and good teaching examples. Even the preface, which describes the author's daughter's initial bad school experience and subsequent turnaround was identical to what I experienced with my daughter between last year and this year. The fact that such a disparity exists in the same grade of my child's school disturbs me because parents have no say in what classes their children are placed into. This book offers excellent information as to what we as parents should expect and demand in our children's learning environment. I feel better informed and prepared for those parent/teacher conferences. Highly recommended for parents, especially if your child is experiencing difficulty in school or has learning disabilities.

As homeschool parents, one of our 4 kids seemed to fit the classic "unmotivated" student.

Once reading this book and being described some of the symptoms of a child with a learning disability, I was shocked to find my child fit the mold "too" well. When thinking of learning disabilities, things like dislexia come to mind. Everything else gets chalked up to the lazy kid or the one that needs help focusing.

This book opened my eyes to other possibilities and how to manage the situation if my child in fact suffers from learning disabilities.

The first part of the book covers the 6 P's of motivation: Praise, Power, Projects, Prestige, Prizes and People-oriented. The chapters help you determine which works best with your child and some strategies to use to help them.

The second half-of the book is geared toward the role of the parent, teacher, etc, in the child's overall motivation and learning. For example, at the end of chapter 11 are over 20 tips on how parents can nurture an environment of motivation for thier child. The same chapter also covers destructive actions parents attempt to use to motivate their kids and wonder why they fail.

OVERALL: This book is packed with lots of hope.
I now feel better equipped to help my child get through their learning process.

On the same note, the tips only work if you work them.

Yes, it is easier to ignore the tips or continue with moderate success at what you've been doing up to this point. Maybe it's time to think outside the box and try something new that builds up the child vs. breaking them down.

I am reading this book as 1) a professor/college instructor, 2) a parent of a child with a significant learning disability (LD), and 3) a researcher in the field of childhood developmental disorders (e.g. ADHD and autism). Honestly, in my classroom I already care about how my students learn and how to reach out to struggling learners (yes, content applies to certain aspects of college instruction). This book affirms the techniques that I already employ - which is a boon to my confidence but offered me no new insight. As a researcher, this book is technically sound, giving information on how children learn, specifically how children with LD learn, that is supported by research. I applaud him for discussing in simple terms what we now know about how children learn. So, this book does compile "best practices" but does not fully cite sources, which is disappointing.

Now, as a parent, I read this and cheered along. Yes! Yes! I wish my son's school did that! However, what do I do with this information? I cannot exactly plop the book down and insist they conform. Lavoie fails to cite where he gets all his information, so I cannot direct educators to these sources from the material herein. Frankly, the focus is more on the classroom environment, so it will have limited applicability at home. Although, the information DOES apply, there is no help in how to carry it out. For instance, Lavoie discusses WHY yelling at a child reduces motivation and hinders positive behavior. To me, this seems obvious, but I'll allow there may be some adults who feel yelling is really effective. I yell from time to time. I feel bad. Lavoie offers no strategies or replacement behavior to reduce yelling. Fixing the problem that led to the yelling is your problem - use "I statements" just don't yell.

As a parent, basically I read this book and felt really awful and discouraged about my son's school and the education he is receiving. I felt frustrated to begin with, but reading about Lavoie's school demonstrated the lengths to which a school can go to include and educate the whole LD child. Since I cannot afford a private LD-centered school, I have no idea what to do with that information - I cannot exactly write into my son's IEP - "Ms. XYZ will praise in public and criticize in private" - it's just not realistic, and as a parent (even one carrying credentials of my very own), I just get very little respect from the district without threatening to sue (and that's not exactly respect or the relationship I seek). So, applying Lavoie's principles in a resistant school is impossible as a parent.

The writing itself is sound. The book could be dry and dense, but instead it is dense and interesting. It is a bit preachy, but he has the experience to justify that. One side note that really bothered me is that he uses far too many examples and analogies. I really only need 1, 3 is just obnoxious. It seems he has writing for people that are slow to understand or accept his point, possibly people like my son's teachers and administrators. Certainly teachers who belittle, demean, and see the LD as a reason to write a child off would have the most to gain from this book. Unfortunately, I doubt they are the audience who are actually purchasing and reading the book. My guess is people who read it probably are already two thirds the way to believing and adopting his philosophy, and for these people very little new information is offered, hence it's average but not superb. To be excellent, he would have needed to address some functional goals of the book and the appropriate audience(e.g. towards rehabilitating schools and/or teachers), streamline the text (cutting out superfluous analogies), adding more detailed research and citations in, and discussion of how to implement into a school as a parent or administrator.

For parents reading this with a child with any disability, I highly urge you to consider reading The Complete IEP Guide: How to Advocate for Your Special Ed Child and using NOLO's advocacy information to try and insert some of Lavoie's principles into your child's IEP. These can be done by asking for a behavior plan or study skills as a target area.