Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8: Teaching Kids to Succeed

by Deborah P. Silver

A fresh approach to getting kids to work smarter and better, not just harder

Award-winning teacher and best-selling author Debbie Silver addresses the relationship between student motivation and risking failure, calling failure a temporary -glitch- that provides valuable learning opportunities. She explains motivational theory, provides down-to-earth--often humorous--real life examples, and outlines concrete, applicable guidelines for helping students overcome setbacks and failure to foster lifelong success. Key topics include:


How to help students become autonomous, enthusiastic, lifelong learners Why failure is not only an option, but a very concrete way of gaining ground The difference between a -pep talk- and specific, relevant feedback that enhances self-efficacy

Genres: Education, Parenting, Teaching

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2012

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recap of all the "new" thoughts on the types of motivation, mind sets, and other factors that play into student success.

I really liked the balance between "eduspeak" and practicality presented. Mix in a few personal stories and you get a thoroughly readable education text, which is no small feat.

Basically a distillation of a handful of famous pop psychology books ran through an educational prism. Not a bad thing really. Nice book to page through for teachers and parents.

[Kimberly Erin Yeager · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me thinking a lot about what I say to help encourage my students and how to be careful with my words for both my students and my children. While my children are almost grown, I know using some of the things I’ve learned on how to encourage them and yet allow them to fail will help them. Thank you for so many good ideas and examples.

[Sue Sansone · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting, There are some theories I don't think would work in todays high tech world.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, but, better than that, learned a lot. There'.s something to be said for a book that reinforces things you already knew-- but you didn't realize you knew them. Hard to believe, but I was in year 34 of teaching before I ever saw Debbie Silver last fall. I read this book mainly because a teacher listserv, MiddleTalk, was having an online discussion this past week, complete with Debbie as a participant.

I have been recommending this book to everyone I see, especially teachers and parents. My copy is laden with colored post it flags, highlights, and notes. Debbie is able to incorporate research, theories, and situations in a way that makes the book practical. I now find myself thinking twice before I offer feedback to others. Basically, the book illustrates how to interact with others in a way to help them become autonomous, self-directed, happy individuals who want to learn. So many of the descriptions of situations ring true (ie. I've said that before) She gives many examples of a scenarios with three or more ways we could deal with them.

I told our distict middle level GT coordinator that she simply must recommend it to her teachers (how about a book club for them?), but any educator would benefit, and ultimately, the students. I had the privilege of seeing Alfie Kohn and Csikszentmihalyi at the same conference here in Indianapolis once. Debbie Silver's book successful incorporates their work, Carol Dweck, and others into a useful resource.

But, wait, there's more! Yesterday I was also blessed to see Monte Selby speak and perform at our state middle level conference (IMLEA). Not only did he reference the book in his talk, but he also performed the "world premier" of a song he wrote with Debbie about it.

Reading this book and participating in the online discussion was a fantastic way to get me ready for the school year!

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Debbie Silver has been a mentor of mine since I first heard her speak at a conference a number of years ago. I was so excited to read this book! It was even better than I had anticipated. She draws upon others whose work I admire such as Carol Dweck (mindset), Alfie Kohn (rewards), Carol Ann Tomlinson (differentiated instruction), Donalyn Miller (the Book Whisperer), etc. that will help us to design an Esperanza that will help each Esperanza scholar develop his/her potential. I am highly recommending this book to every Esperanza stakeholder (educators, staff, parents, and Board members).

[Kat O'B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of hearing Debbie Silver speak at a 2014 AMLE conference session. Her book is very much like her fabulous presentation, which reinforces what we really already know-- that it is important to help young people become self-motivated and to learn to overcome obstacles and deal with failure in a constructive way. Yet, I wager every teacher will cringe upon realizing that SOME phrase or practice that we have used with students has done the opposite. Easy to read, supported by research, plenty of specific examples provided- highly recommended reading for all teachers and parents!

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book for both parents and teachers. It is easy to read, sprinkled with just enough research to validate the author's conclusions. It has made me rethink the reward systems that we do with students and how that can impact self-efficacy. I have also had to re-evaluate my comments to students, both what I say and how I say it making sure that I am rewarding the behavior that I intend to reward. This a thought-provoking book for all who want kids to develop resiliance in life and explore ways to help them do just that.

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very inspiring to me as an educator. I thought that a lot of great points were made about motivation and building resilient kids. However, there were times I wanted to know even more about the research that was mentioned in the book. Having read a few of the source materials, I knew the bigger picture, but I don't think that average reader would. I highly recommend this book to both teachers and parents who are wanting to raise children who persevere through tough times and make choices for the right reason.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and found it inspiring with some practical suggestions and ideas for implementation in the classroom. There were times throughout, however, that I did think Silver’s ideas seemed a little idealistic and I would’ve liked further clarification on how these issues could be tackled in everyday teaching.
I liked Silver’s personal touches throughout the text and it was refreshing to hear her question the more extreme versions of the theories she was discussing. This definitely made the text more readable and felt a lot more discussion-based than it otherwise would have.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the ideas of this book. Hearing research behind how to make kids more resilient and hard-working is both inspiring and informative. I can't wait to try some of these methods to see how they play out in the classroom. If you only have time to read part of the book, focus on the first half, which is the meat of the material. The second half tends to repeat or just add on extra information that is not necessarily relevant.

[Simone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't over the moon about this book, but I did find several applicable practices. I like how the recommendations were research-based but it didn't read like a psychology book. I appreciate finding ways to elicit the best from my students when they think they're capable of, and think they should get away with giving, less based on their experiences. No excuses. :)

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer read for work. Most of our teachers enjoyed it, but since I had read a lot of the source material, I found it to be just a condensed retelling of others. However, I did get a chance to hear Debbie Silver speak in person and she was entertaining and inspiring. We also used this book as the first read for our parent book club and they found it very informative as well.

[Jose Zazueta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was already familiar with most of the concepts/research behind the book (flow, grit, growth mindset, etc) so it didn't add new information, but I still think it's a good book, serves as a refresher/reminder and gives some practical, real life examples so you don't forget to be conscious about these things in your everyday with your kids...

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information and food for thought. Words can be damaging - so can intrinsic rewards. We need to teach students to be motivated, empower them to fail and learn from their mistakes, and be accountable for what they do and why they do it.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It's about teaching kids to succeed - by developing self-motivation, a growth mentality and perseverance. So many of the educational theories I agree with synthesized into one fairly short, clear book. An easy read with concrete examples. Just excellent.

[Tammy Flores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I couldn't put it down. As teachers and parents, it is imperative to share this book. Gone are the days of entitling children. We now have enough research to show the damage it has done to our society over the past 30 years. Highly recommend this book.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3 1/2⭐. This book is a great synthesis of the works os Vygotsky, Dweck, Ericsson, Bloom, Gardener, Kohn and so many others. Puts behavioral & educational jargon into everyday language that is easy to understand. Good read for teachers or parents.

[Christina · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was nothing inspiring about this book. It seemed to be a lot of what I already know about how to work with and talk to students. The scenarios were not very realistic. A good reminder, but nothing new and novel to help in the classroom.

[Peter H Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

In full disclosure, I am a friend of Debbie Silver and I illustrated to cover to this book. I also created a little animated film based on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1osUTl...

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent read for those involved with children of any age....parents, teacher....great examples of real problems faced each day. Worth your time!

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was basically just a summary of other researchers' work. I don't feel like I learned anything new.

[Jessica McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good beginners guide to teaching/parenting determined kids.

[Linda Herrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book for anyone wanting to learn about autism from a young man that tells what it is like to not be able to proceed everyday experiences in the same manner as a person not having autism.

[Lori Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional collection of ideas. Strategies to develop self-efficacy in kids and stop enabling learned helplessness and entitlement.

[Karen Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is a MUST read for all educators.