Huddle

Physical Activity, Sport and the Teenage Brain

Dr. Colin Higgs

Overview

During the teen years, sport participation takes place during the turmoil of adolescence and is a period during which most sport participants define themselves as athletes and commit to high performance and the rigours of training for athletic excellence, drop out, or elect to enjoy continued sport participation at a lower level. During this webinar, Dr. Colin Higgs will take a closer look at why this stage of development is so challenging, and explore what you can do to help your students and athletes derive maximum benefit from participation in health enhancing physical activity.

Dr. Colin Higgs is Professor Emeritus at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. Prior to his retirement Dr. Higgs served as the Professor and Dean of the School of Human Kinetics. Dr. Higgs has spent a large part of his career in the area of improving sport for persons with a disability. A well-known speaker around the globe, Dr. Higgs international work has focused on using sport to reduce the lives of disadvantaged youths.

Part I: What do we know?


Exploring what we know about the teenage brain and how it evolves through adolescents. (19:09)

Part II: Wiring the teenage brain


Continuing the exploration of the teenage brain, focusing on the teenage prefrontal cortex, executive function and self-regulation. (16:29)

Part III: Teens and sleep


Confronting the problem around teens and sleep, specifically as it relates to school. (11:22)

Lunch n' Learn Discussion Questions

Before watching the webinar, ask yourself these three questions:

  1. How up-to-date are you when it comes to teenage physical and mental development?
  2. How do you encourage students when it comes to physical fitness?
  3. When you assess student performance how much focus do you place on skill? —How do you think that affects students?

After watching the webinar, ask yourself these three questions:

  1. What classroom activities do you think you could introduce to help prevent student brain circuits from being “pruned”?
  2. What are some ways you can think of to reduce the reward for high-risk tactical decisions?
  3. Has your school considered changing start times to accommodate student sleep patterns? If so, has it worked?