Product Description

Any child can be motivated to learn.

"If he only would apply himself..."

"She can do it if she puts her mind to it."

"He just doesn't seem to care."

"She's just not trying."

Motivation is the key to learning. But very few parents and teachers have an effective arsenal of techniques at their disposal. Enter educator and acclaimed author Rick Lavoie, who arms all those who deal with children with proven, effective tools and strategies they can use to encourage any child to learn and achieve success.

Lavoie's practical, innovative approach begins with a quiz that helps a parent or teacher identify -- using six different possible models -- a child's motivational style.

• Is she motivated by power?
• Does he need prestige?
• Does praise mean a lot to this child?
• Does contact with other people inspire this child?
• Does he like to do projects?
• Does she enjoy receiving prizes?

He then explores each motivational style in depth, presenting proven techniques, strategies, and scripts that can be used in the classroom and at home to break through a child's apathy and discouragement and inspire him to succeed and achieve.

Along the way, Lavoie explodes some common myths about motivation: for instance, he demonstrates that rewards, punishment, and competition are not effective motivational tools. He gives specific advice throughout for parents and teachers of children with learning disabilities and provides detailed instructions for how to create a motivated classroom. He outlines the parent's role, the teacher's role, and suggests ways in which they can work together to encourage children to reach their potential. The book's final chapter, "What Does Madison Avenue Know...That Maple Street Elementary School Doesn't," reveals what parents and teachers can learn from some of the most powerful motivators in our children's world: advertisers.

With empathy and understanding, backed by decades of experience in the classroom, Rick Lavoie gives parents and teachers the key to unlock any child's enthusiasm and responsiveness. The Motivation Breakthrough will revolutionize the way parents, teachers, and professionals reach out to and motivate all children.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #90831 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

Review
"Rick's experiences as an educator, father, and consultant shine through as he describes obstacles to motivation and eloquently articulates interventions that will be most effective in sparking the interest and joy of kids, especially given their different needs." -- Robert Brooks, Ph.D., author of The Self-Esteem Teacher and coauthor of Raising Resilient Children

"Sheer genius! Lavoie's gift for creatively motivating even the most difficult students is unrivaled. A must-read for educators who want to learn from a master teacher!" -- Chris A. Zeigler Dendy, M.S., author of Teaching Teens with ADD and ADHD and coauthor of A Bird's-Eye View of Life with ADD and ADHD

"Rick succeeds in emphasizing how important it is for adults to know what motivates children. The Motivation Breakthrough is a valuable resource for all of us who are searching for ways to inspire and discover that elusive motivational spark in our children." -- Richard L. Goldman, M.Ed., director, Schools Attuned, Los Angeles; assistant director, Center for Teaching and Learning, California State University, Northridge

"Rick Lavoie reminds us on every page that we all possess the power to shape a child's future. The Motivation Breakthrough offers concrete strategies and reveals the most powerful and effective secrets for boosting a child's confidence, self-esteem, and motivation." -- Donna Goldberg, author of The Organized Student

"Richard Lavoie's work has become a centerpiece in teacher preparation curriculum across the United States. The principles espoused by Lavoie in this book are testimony to what many effective educators have known for a long time: in learning, often the journey is just as important as the destination. This is a must-read for anyone connected with the field of education."-- Michael E. Spagna, Ph.D., professor and executive director, the Center for Teaching and Learning, Michael D. Eisner College of Education, California State University, Northridge

About the Author
Richard Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed., has worked as a teacher and headmaster at residential special education facilities for the past thirty years. He holds three degrees in special education and serves as a consultant to several agencies and organizations. The father of three adult children, he lives with his wife in Barnstable, Massachusetts. He welcomes visitors to his website at www.ricklavoie.com

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Part IUnderstanding and Fostering Student Motivation

Student Motivation: What It Is and What It Is Not

"If there is anything that we wish to change in a child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could be better changed in ourselves." -- Carl Jung

Several years ago, I designed and delivered a workshop entitled "I Can't" Versus "He Won't": Motivational Issues in Special Education. This awkwardly titled seminar was designed to acquaint teachers and parents with basic information about motivation, the impact of learning problems on motivation, and strategies to improve a student's efforts in the classroom and at home.

I was delivering the seminar to the faculty of a small Midwestern high school during a staff development day. Among the audience members was a stern-looking middle-aged gentleman who -- I later learned -- taught United States history and civics. He sat tight-lipped with his arms crossed firmly throughout the seminar. Although we never spoke to each other during the workshop, his body language clearly communicated that he was not buying what I was selling. He rolled his eyes and sighed audibly several times during my presentation. He shifted impatiently in his seat and glanced at his watch repeatedly. His behavior demonstrated that he had not begged his supervisor to allow him to attend a motivation workshop that day.

At the conclusion of the seminar, I opened the floor to questions. I was disheartened -- but not surprised -- to see this gentleman's hand shoot up. I acknowledged him and he stood and stared icily at me. "Your workshop had a lot of suggestions and plenty of reasons why kids aren't motivated to learn, but I am in total disagreement with your premise."

"And what is the source of our disagreement?" I asked, tentatively.

"Quite simply, it's not my job to motivate these kids. If they come to my class and they want to sit quietly and learn history, I will gladly give them the facts, information, and concepts that they need. If they are not motivated to learn, they can sit in the back of the class and sleep if they wish. It's their choice. It's their loss. I communicate information...and I do that very well. But if a kid doesn't care to learn it, that is not my problem. It's his problem. I'm a teacher, not a cheerleader."

We discussed...and argued...and debated...and dickered...and quarreled.

Because we disagreed so fundamentally on this issue, the discussion became quite heated. Finally, I said in some frustration, "But there are many legitimate reasons why a student can lack motivation: fear of failure, lack of understanding, learning disorders, frustration. Every learning theorist from Piaget to Gardner has stated that the learning process begins with motivation. Without motivation, there is no learning. Attempting to teach a child who is unmotivated is as futile as hammering on cold steel."

"But it's not my job!" he countered.

"It is your job, sir. Quite simply, kids don't come with batteries included. You've got to provide the batteries if you want them to function."

I don't believe that I was successful in changing the gentleman's mind, but our exchange did give me a better title for the seminar. I renamed the workshop "Batteries Not Included: Motivating the Struggling Learner," and have delivered programs throughout North America, Australia, Hong Kong, and New Zealand.

Most teachers and parents recognize that motivation is the key to learning. Reflect for a moment on your favorite teacher in high school. The chances are that he was an effective motivator. He inspired you. He was not merely a teacher, he was also a leader.

He did not necessarily make learning fun, but he made learning attainable and purposeful. Whether you serve children as a teacher, parent, coach, or instructor, you will multiply your effectiveness immeasurably if you learn how to motivate your charges and maintain that motivation throughout the learning process.

I began my study of student motivation in the twentieth year of my education career. I interviewed dozens of teachers about student motivation and was surprised and disheartened to find how little my colleagues knew about this important topic. The more I learned about this subject, the more I came to realize that I, also, did not have an effective repertoire of motivational techniques. I tended to use a "one size fits all" approach with my students wherein I expected all of the children to be motivated by the same star chart, checklist, or reward system. This broad approach left many children unmotivated and uninspired. I was able to motivate many of my students. I analyzed the approaches and strategies that were successful with these children. My successes, I came to recognize, were almost accidental -- nearly serendipitous. I made no conscious attempt to match the child to the motivational technique. I merely had the good fortune to use a motivational strategy that, by happenstance, seemed to inspire a particular child.

After observing one of my classes a generous superior once commented that I was "a natural motivator." I wasn't, and now that I have a better understanding of the intricacies of this complex process we call "motivation," I realize a truly "natural motivator" is a rare, rare person indeed. In order to establish and maintain the motivation of a fellow human being, or a classroom filled with fellow human beings, one must understand the complexities inherent in this elaborate motivation process.

It is important that adults learn what motivation is! But it is equally important that they unlearn what motivation is not! I have yet to find an undergraduate- or graduate-level curriculum that effectively addresses this fundamental concept. Teachers' lack of training and exposure to the basic tenets of childhood motivation results in a corps of American teachers who are unable to understand or implement effective motivational techniques.

The media bombards us incessantly with the bad news emanating from America's classrooms. Test scores are down, dropout rates are up, and school violence is on the rise while school attendance declines. Students' high-risk behaviors (drug use, sexual activity, delinquency) increase while SAT scores plummet in some communities. There are innumerable reasons for these statistics, many of which are beyond the control of parents and school personnel. But student motivation is clearly a factor in these upsetting educational trends. This fact should serve as a clarion call to America's parents and professionals to focus time, energy, and other resources on the study and exploration of motivation.

This book is designed to explore and, to a degree, demystify the complex process of motivating school-aged children. First, we will explore and explode some of the most common myths and misconceptions that impact our understanding of motivation. Following this unlearning, the processes of learning and relearning can begin. Second, we will discuss and demonstrate the significant impact that learning disorders can have upon a student's ability to maintain his motivation in the classroom, at home, and on the playing field.

The final, and perhaps primary, focus of the book will be a collection of field-tested strategies designed to create, foster, and maintain the motivation of children in a variety of settings.

It is not overstating the case to say that our nation's future depends greatly on our ability to motivate our children today. This fact should inspire all adults to become more effective motivators. In the sage words of Charles Kettering, "My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there."

Myths and Misconceptions About Student Motivation

"Do something. If it works, do more of it. If it doesn't...do something else." -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Today's teachers and parents should heed FDR's sage advice. Often, we continue to repeatedly use traditional "motivational techniques" despite the obvious fact that these strategies are not working effectively. I recall a simmering teacher bringing an errant and unmotivated student into my office and complaining, "I have kept Josh in for recess fifteen days in a row and he still isn't doing his math homework."

Well, let's circle the slow learner in this picture. The strategy is not working. Try something else!

Because we are unable to inspire our students by igniting their intrinsic (internal) motivation, we try to motivate them extrinsically by establishing a complex tapestry of tests, quizzes, evaluations, and grades. In effect, we force them to be motivated to master the targeted curriculum. ("I know that you will never need to use these algebra equations in real life, Tucker, but you must learn them because they will be on Friday's test.") This unrelenting coercion seems to be a rather unfair use of our power over children. We can do better.

I have come to recognize that most teachers and parents adhere to a false and shaky set of beliefs related to motivation. These misconceptions must be shelved before we can embrace a more enlightened motivational approach.

Motivation Myth #1

"That Danny...NOTHING motivates that kid."

Any teacher or parent who makes this statement is displaying a sad lack of knowledge about the true nature of student motivation.

We must come to understand the most basic tenet of human motivation. This concept is the keystone upon which the remaining pages of this book rest. The simple but profound concept is the following: All human behavior is motivated!

EVERY behavior that we manifest on any given day is motivated. If a reader decides to stop reading this book at this point, I cannot state that the person is "not motivated." She was motivated to stop reading. If a friend of mine stops calling me on a weekly basis, I cannot say, "He is unmotivated to maintain the friend...

Customer Reviews

Very thorough and informative book
As a mom of a hard to motivate child I was really looking forward to reading this. Mr. Lavoie has written a very comprehensive book that explores many aspects of what motivates and how to motivate kids.

The first section of the book is a basic discussion of motivation, what is it? What are some of the reasons that people are motivated and what are the different types of motivation.

It goes into six different archetypes of children and what motivates them. From praise to power, from prestige to prizes and a few others. This book helped me to understand so much about different personality types of children and how to motivate them.

There's a wealth of information for teachers how parents can work with their child's teacher/school to keep them motivated.

I have gotten so much great information from this book and it has helped me to help my child. This is a wonderful book that would greatly benefit many, if not all, parents and teachers.

a good starting point
I think the value of this book lies in teaching people that what motivates them does not necessarily motivate their kids. Or any other person for that matter. After all, adults are just big kids.

I have read many of the ideas in this book in other books over the years. So its not really new to me, but it is a good starting point for someone that is having some challenges with their kids. I learned the hard way that what motivates me is not the same thing that motivates most of my kids. And each of them are motivated by different things! Like parenting isn't hard enough already?

This book will not be an instant fix. You may also find that your kids are not located in one group, such as motivated by praise, but they may be a mix of groups, motivated by praise and motivated by prizes. To make it even harder, you may find that in most things your kid is motivated by one thing, but in other things he is motivated by something else. This process will take some time, but its worth it.

Good luck to you.

Richard Lavoie is so insightful!
I bought htis and the "It's So Hard to be Your Friend" book and they are both great reads and have been quite helpful. Great info for all parents of kids teens and below!