Download Developing Executive Function

Developing Executive Function
or
The Wisdom of Ancient Games
Dr. Colin Higgs
Tuesday, February 7, 17
For those who don’t know me outside of Sport for Life
Tuesday, February 7, 17
I lead a double life....
• Long-Term Athlete Development (Sport for
life)
•
•
•
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Work on Physical Literacy
Work on Athlete Development Matrix
Work on LTAD 3.0 - the next edition
Internationally for UNICEF
• Sport for Development
Tuesday, February 7, 17
•
•
Violence reduction in Sri Lanka and Rwanda
•
USING traditional local games
Integration of persons with a disability in
Azerbaijan
My two worlds met
• Working on Physical Literacy 2.0 AND
working on traditional games
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Physical Literacy 2.0
• Became apparent to me that we were
missing something in the original
“Developing Physical Literacy”
Physical Literacy 1.0
Basic Human
Movements
Develop Habit
+
of Activity
Physical Literacy 2.0
Basic Human
Movements
Develop Habit
+
of Activity
Develop Executive Function
Tuesday, February 7, 17
+
+
What is Executive Function?
• It is a set of inter-related brain functions:
•
Depends on Genetics, and learning
it is largely developed between the
• And
ages of 3 and 6 years.
Building Executive Function is the single most
important factor for later success in life
Peak in late 20s
Stable through adulthood, with slight decline in older age
Active Start
Tuesday, February 7, 17
3
4
5
6
5
2
12
-1
1
910
0
68
FUNdamentals
So what is Executive Function?
• Three major subfunctions
Tuesday, February 7, 17
•
•
Working memory
•
Self regulation:
Inhibition control
Cognitive
flexibility
Working Memory
•  The capacity to hold and work with
multiple bits of information at the same
time.
Keeping track of all the aircraft
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Working Memory Sport
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Cognitive flexibility
•  Ability to switch easily and quickly between
different ways of thinking - seeing things
from a different perspective, or adapting
behaviour
Focus on screen (inside) then outside
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Cognitive flexibility in sport
•  Internal focus - body position during shot
preparation then external focus - ʼnwhere is
the goalie?Ŋ
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Inhibition control
•  Ability to interrupt an automated response,
control the body, and resist distractions to do what is best in the long-run.
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Inhibition control in Sport
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Developing Executive Function
• Since major development is between 3 and
6 years
•
We need games and activities!
• So let’s look at the three sub-functions
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Working Memory
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Physical (Memory) Games
• Add-a-movement
•
•
One child starts off with a movement
•
Second child does the same movement and adds
a second movement
•
•
•
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Jump (for example)
Jump + hop
Next child jump + hop + touch toes
Keep groups small so that the first person is also the
4th or 5th person in the sequence
Physical (memory) games
• What games from your childhood focused
on developing working memory?
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Traditional Rope Skipping Games
• Have complicated rhymes to be
memorized, and are often cumulative
• Trick challenges - cumulative
Tuesday, February 7, 17
2. Cognitive Flexibility
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Which card does ? match
Why?
Tuesday, February 7, 17
How to do this...
• Learning activities provide ambiguous
solutions
• Don’t over simplify instructions or
materials
• Emphasize knowledge construction
• Participants articulate
How to
connections
Theory Into Practice database http://tip.psycology.org
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Non-active example
Blue
Yellow
Green
Red
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Practical example
• With a partner - throw a small ball to each
other.
• If you BOUNCE the ball, catch it with two
hands, if the ball does not bounce, catch
with one hand.
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Another physical example
• Passing game:
Tuesday, February 7, 17
•
Person can pass to a person in EITHER a blue of
yellow shirt, or more difficult
•
To a girl in BLUE or a Boy in RED
Traditional Rope Skipping Games
• Have complicated rhymes to be
memorized, and that need to be recited
while timing jumps with the rope being
turned.
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Traditional Games
• “Creep Up” • “Statues”
• “Musical Chairs”
• “Group making games” - Get in groups of
2, 4 etc.
• “Mirror”
• “Ampe” - from Africa - Jumping game
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Cognitive Flexibility and the
development of Empathy
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Traditional Games - Cognitive
Flexibility
• What games did you play as a child that
could develop cognitive flexibility?
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Inhibition Control
• Any and all games where there is a penalty
for making an action under certain
conditions:
•
•
Tuesday, February 7, 17
“Snap”
‘Simon Says” and its many variants
Adult led v Child led activities
• Adult led:
•
Organized, BUT since decisions are made by
adults, less chance for development of executive
functions.
• Child led:
•
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Disorganized, but provide many more
opportunities for the development of executive
functions
So this is a plea...
• For less organized activities for younger
children - Active Start - and for Free Play
• For structured activities to develop
Executive Function in FUNdamentals +
Learn to Train
• To provide them the opportunity to better
develop executive function
Tuesday, February 7, 17
Since this leads to:
• Better decision making in athletes - building
the foundation for later high performance,
• Better adjusted individuals.
Tuesday, February 7, 17