14 June 2007
Can sport boost intellect?
Play Smart national event
SCHOOLCHILDREN from across England are taking part in a unique project which uses sport to boost intellect.
40 teams from as far as Birmingham and Carlisle converge on MMU this Friday, June 15, to compete in Play Smart, a series of games devised by sports psychologists at MMU Cheshire's Alsager campus.
The contest uses football, cricket, basketball and other sport formats to solve problems such as moving objects from A to B or solving mathematical problems.
Tom Bell, senior lecturer at MMU’s department of exercise and sport science, said: "Sporting stars like Wayne Rooney may not appear academic but they are highly intelligent in other ways, notably in spatial problem-solving. Sport can be a great vehicle for youngsters to develop cognitive skills and abilities.
Learning by instinct
"Physical activity is a great environment to get people using their brains instinctively outside the usual trappings of the classroom.
"We're trying to get them thinking without a plan."
The day-long event will pit teams of year 8 pupils (aged 12-13) against each other. Schools in Cheshire taking part include Alsager High, Holden Lane (Stoke), Haywood High (Stoke) and Rudheath High School.
Play Smart is being run in conjunction with a dozen Local Education Authorities across the country and is backed by research which shows that problem-solving is a skill best developed in early age.
Intelligence
Added Tom Bell: "The new National Curriculum recognises that we are not training our children to think. Initatives like Play Smart are designed to reverse this by giving children innovative new vehicles to develop their intelligence."
Note: Play Smart runs from 10.45am to 5.30pm on Friday, June 15 at MMU Cheshire’s Alsager Campus, Hassall lane, Alsager.
For more information, contact Tom Bell, senior lecturer in physical education, department of Exercise and Sport Science, MMU, on 0161 247 5458.
