Please go to http://www.drkwamebrown.com

The goal was to not only talk about how youth obesity prevention related to public health, but to discuss possible solutions to the problem.   You can watch the video below, but the gist of what I told people is the following:

1. We missed the point for so long on solving this “childhood obesity” problem.  It is not about telling, or “encouraging” kids to be more active.  This is about environmental change.  And that’s what makes it difficult.  Instead of spending money on commercials, we need to be spending it on:

-providing play spaces via grassroots efforts and policy change (organizations like kaboom, schools, and local government)

-preserving natural space through policy (government, community, and corporate stakeholders

-training adults and adolescents to be play leaders (my job), including parents.  For adolescents, this also supports teen fitness by making           them role models

-providing time for families to be together, and supporting active parenting (corporate entities and small businesses)

2.  Active Play professionals MUST stop viewing skill development and freedom to play as mutually exclusive.   In this day and age, with the kids we are serving NOW, this is not an option past early childhood.  For the next generation, it may be.  But not now.   Kids now need both freedom to explore and guidance.  The FUNction Method is designed to do that.

Of course I expanded on these ideas in the video from my talk at UC Berkeley.  If you want to know more, or find ways to get involved at a grassroots or professional level, please do the following:

Like “Move Theory” on Facebook, and help spread the word by sharing this blog and the Move Theory page.

Follow @drkmbrown on Twitter, and help me spread the word by retweeting.

Contact me at drkwamebrown@movetheory.com

The Ego

The first thing I had to learn to put away when working with children is ego.  It is one of the first things I talk about with coaches and teachers now.  I remember when I got my first couple of solid groups of kids in South Florida.   Many times, at the beginning, they had no desire to do what I was asking them to do.  You see, I wasn’t just working with talented competitive athletes.  I was working with children and adolescent who had a range of skill and motivation.   They were each an individual in their own right.  But my “solution” early on was to “re-explain” to them what “they needed to do” for them, and to “teach them to respect their teacher”.   Now, I wasn’t mean, and I rarely yelled (once when children were being disrespectful and ignoring another coach, and once when a boy called a girl a “whore”).  99% of the time, I was friendly with kids and we had great rapport.

But I realized pretty early that I had failed to ask the most important question:  What were they interested in?  Had I respected their wants and needs?  It all goes back to that “sponge” issue I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.

The reality is:  I hadn’t. I was too concerned about “applying my expertise”.

I was either assuming that they shared my goals for them, or that they were there to exercise and get into shape.   I had assumed, wrongly, that all I had to do was “inspire” them and “teach” them.  What we often egregiously misunderstand about many children is that the “rah-rah” stuff is not motivating for them.  For one, they don’t necessarily care about what you care about.  Two, this may actually turn them off, because we are quite obviously trying to “make” them do what we want them to do.  Your approach may or may not jibe with what they want.

So, I started listening to kids.  I would let a couple of kids each session pick two activities that were their special thing.  We all had to participate. This worked.  I was including them in decisions, instead of  barking orders.  You see, whether you do it with a smile or not, barking orders is barking orders.

The Justaposition of Ideas

So, how do we reconcile the three following facts

1. Kids need to be involved in shaping their own play experience

2. There are skills that they need to learn

3. Some semblance of order must be maintained

We solve this first, by using the Move Theory to recognize that several truths can exist in one space and time.  All of the above are necessary and true.  Too many programs and approaches have tried to fight or ignore this.  Too many lack the skills and background to combine them.  This is where I can deliver valuable help, having mentored and been responsible for the education and skill improvement of thousands in the fields of physical education, youth coaching, and youth fitness.

I travel the United States (and I am open to traveling abroad) to share my knowledge of child development and Active Play, and how we can fix the problems with current approaches.  You see, I am pretty unique (not better than everyone, but unique).  Many have done some of the following, but few have done all of the following:

1. Worked as a bona fide developmental scientist and contributed original research in neural development

2. Worked in a supervisory role in government. 

3. Engaged extensively in Active Play with young people from infancy through adolescence

4. Worked as a private freelancer

5. Conducted workshops and presentations on neural development, child development and Active Play for thousands of people throughout the United States.  

6. Been raised in a family of premier educators and child development scholars. 

I have been looking at the problems of education and child development all my life.  I don’t just look to give speeches.  I love to workshop with people, truly listen to questions, and answer challenges.  This is what Move Theory is all about:  listening and sharing, creating open lines of communication to solve problems.  And I love it!  Each time I teach, I learn.  Each time I learn, I teach.  And so the circle continues.   I hope that people continue to book me for workshops and presentations, but I must say that I appreciate already the incredibly rich experiences I have had so far.

To bring me in for understanding and help in creating Active Play environments, contact:  info@ecoutezspeakers.com

I have spent 20 years intensely studying movement disciplines, child development, neural system development, organizational planning, and societal shifts to form the approach I take to this problem.  This has resulted in the approach I take now.   The approach of Move Theory and Move Create is to “Use No Way As the Way”, adapted from Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do.  Instead of just creating a rigid program, and telling you to buy it or leave it, I listen to what your specific needs are and either help them tweak my programs for their needs, or plug into their organization itself and help them come up with viable, sustainable solutions.

With Move Youth, I take the same approach when working with young people.  I talk to them, get to know what their wants and needs are.  With that, I help them to create their own movement experience.   We remain in constant communication and flux.  I remind them that I am there for them.  They are not here to glorify me, but their own experience.  Thus far, I have worked individually and in groups with over a thousand young football, lacrosse, basketball, soccer,  and tennis players.  I have helped shape the movements of young hip hop and ballet dancers.  I have been blessed to have had the opportunity and skills to change the lives of so many sedentary children, helping them learn to love movement, to find enjoyment in it.   It is often this that I am most grateful for.

Do your kids need help?  Do you coach kids and do you want to improve your skills?  Then contact me at drkwamebrown@movetheory.com. 

The Product

Need something tangible, that you can buy?  As we say in my culture – I got you!  The FUNction program, finally coming to the market in the next few months, does just that   After years of trying different approaches, listening to kids, bringing counselors in over winter and spring breaks as interns, and researching other programs, FUNction Coachable Moments has solved this conundrum.  The idea is to work the basic movement skills into games.  FUNction Coachable Moments is about asking questions, guiding, and probing, rather than barking and prodding.   This program will not be fancy.  It will not have video (most of what I have delivered has been for government agencies, so video rights are hard to come by).  What FUNction will have is all the tools you need to shape an Active Play program for kids and do it with very little equipment expense.

Take Action Below to stay up to date on Move Theory offerings, events, and information.  This isn’t “self” promotion.  This is “mission” promotion.  This is, “let’s fix these problems for kids” promotion.  This is, “let me lead this charge for you” promotion.

Sign up for the Move Theory Newsletter

Like Move Theory on Facebook

Follow @drkmbrown on Twitter

I am warning you, this will be long!  To fully explain Move Theory, I must tell the story of my long personal journey in movement.  That will be the purpose of this article.

Rough Start and Idle

As a child, I wasn’t such a great mover.  I played outside, but as my friends became more athletic and played on sports teams, I realized that I didn’t feel as coordinated as them.  I didn’t really feel that I was as big or strong as any of them.  So I retreated to books.  Everyone said I was so smart, so I figured that must be what I was meant to be good at.  By the time I was in middle school, my efforts at sports produced more laughs than anything else.  I became more and more sedentary.

This became more and more of a problem for me (in my mind) as I grew, and as I became more interested in girls.  I felt like all of the other boys were more athletic, and strong.  I went out for the basketball team in the 10th grade, but I was too small and weak – and scared – to make the team.  I was also intimidated by a lot of the other boys at school, both because some of them actively intimidated me, and because of how I felt about myself.  This slowly ate away at me, until I decided to start “exercising”.  I began to do pushups and situps, and squats, because these were the only exercises I knew.  I knew I wanted to feel like I could take care of myself, so I began to copy martial arts moves from TV and tapes.  This really wasn’t working, because not only did I still not feel like I could “take” anybody, I also wasn’t inspired enough to stay consistent with it.  Further, I still felt uncoordinated and self-conscious when I played basketball and football with friends.

The First Seeds

It wasn’t until I entered college that things began to change.  I had three friends and one teacher that changed things forever.  One friend happened to be a gong fu instructor.  He formed a club on campus and began to teach.  This was my first true exploration of movement and a sense of my body.  To this day, I am grateful that gong fu and its exploration of animal imitations and meaningful, fluid movement and breath came into my life.  Another classmate was an excellent athlete and fellow molecular biology major who I began to work out with along with my freshman year roommate.  My best friend and I had both been small in high school, and we challenged each other to lift more and get bigger – not really the motivation I would choose now, but I was 19, so what are you gonna do!   Now I had others with whom I was connected to in my desire for progress.  Additionally, an exercise science professor took me under his wing and taught me technique, how to design a workout, and how to take charge of my nutrition.  Can you see in this the first clues for Move Theory?

By my junior year in college, I could jump out of the gym, and was incredibly fast.  Furthermore, I found out I had a great jump shot on the basketball court!  As I continued to get stronger and faster and better versed in the martial arts (especially the teachings of Bruce Lee), I became more and more interested in the connection between mind and body.

When I arrived at Georgetown University as a very green, idealistic graduate student in 1996, I already knew that I wanted to explore this mind-body connection further.  But I also knew that this was not just an intellectual pursuit.  This also had to be a physical and spiritual pursuit.  I began to study everything I could get my hands on about movement.  I studied Latin dance.  I became a personal trainer, specializing in rehabilitation of injuries and functional fitness.  As I worked with adults in the fitness environment, I began to discover that so many adults, even those who had strong muscles and could run for miles, seemed to have no connection to their bodies.  These individuals could not perform simple movements like squatting, rotating, pushing, pulling, without being heavily coached.  As I talked to these injured people and learned their histories, it became apparent to me that either specific, specialized movements had either been taught to them for one purpose, a particular sport, or that movement had not been a meaningful part of their lives at all.

Without Struggle, There is No Progress…

I began to get frustrated with this.  How could this be?  How could I solve it?  I had some success with my clients, but I longed for a better solution.  I began to think about prevention.  I realized that the only way to prevent this…well, was to prevent it!  Around this time (2000), I made a fitness presentation at an apartment complex.  A gentleman asked me if I could work with his son, who was an offensive lineman on a local high school football team.  When I began to work with this young man in his team’s weight room, I realized what was going on.  The coaches were so concerned about how much weight could be hoisted on a bar, these young men couldn’t even move their bodies through an effective range of motion.  Technique was terrible.  I realized something needed to be done about this, but I had to finish my Ph.D. dissertation first.

In doing my dissertation work on motor development and spinal injury in young animals, I had to do tons and tons of background research on the development of movement in children.   I began to discover the research on play and movement.  This opened up whole new worlds for me with regard to my understanding of how movement developed in children.  I began to realize that for movement to develop properly, there must be exploration and guidance.  I played with this idea in my head as I finished my dissertation work and prepared to transition to Miami Project to Cure Paralysis for my postdoctoral work.   When I hit Miami, I spent the first few months getting my feet wet in the research and rehabilitative techniques I would use to assist the efforts to “cure” spinal cord injury.  After a few months, I realized that I missed the fitness world.  I secured a position at Shula’s Athletic Club as a Personal Trainer.  Once there, I discovered an obesity prevention program for kids that was about to be cut.  I offered to take it over.

The Revelation

Once I took over the youth fitness program at Shula’s, I realized that everything the kids had been doing involved either balancing on a board or doing adult type weightlifting.   I began to review more youth fitness programs and realized that none of them really followed principles of involving children in a way that they explored variety in movement.  Further, almost no one had background in child development or neural development!  They were all personal trainers, volunteer coaches who had played sports, or former standout athletes.   I knew I had to change things.  I also knew that I had made a huge mistake.  Unlike my graduate work, which won the Maengwyn-Davies award for Excellence at Georgetown University, my postdoctoral research wasn’t going to make much of a contribution.  And my heart was in working with children.

As I took this program at Shula’s over, I discovered kids who had little control and connection with their movement.  I also discovered many who didn’t think much of themselves as athletes.  I said “Enough”!  I also met Brian Grasso, who was talking about “guided discovery” – our first phone conversation lasted over an hour!  I helped him found the International Youth Conditioning Association and began to create the first wave of training materials for fitness specialists who want to work with children.  The IYCA has now certified thousands of Youth Fitness Specialists all around the world.

I began to intensely explore every form of movement I could:  yoga, Pilates, athletic training, ballet, Olympic lifting, ancient martial arts techniques, etc.  in order to have a more complete view of movement to share with the kids I worked with.  I didn’t just read about these techniques.  I experienced them as an athlete.  I delved into them intensely.  I spent some time working under Cris Carter, the famous NFL player, at his facility, learning under the people there.    I lost nearly 20 pounds (of muscle) with my intense physical and intellectual study of movement.     At this point (around 2004), I had a lot to teach kids, and knew all kinds of great teaching techniques that could help them improve their movement.  But what kids really want to do is play.  I knew this from my dissertation work.  I began to think about the combination of ideas.  This was the first seed for the Move Theory.  I knew that kids needed to learn to move their bodies efficiently and effectively, but also that they needed (not wanted) to have fun and play.  Further, I knew they needed to “own” their movement exploration.   So I began to literally combine movement “training” with games they were familiar with.  It worked!  My programs grew.  I was asked to take over training for all the competitive tennis kids at Shula’s Athletic Club.  Parents began to bring me their children.   Like any good teacher, the children taught me as much as I taught them.

The Work Continues

Wanting to come back to Washington, DC., I accepted a job with Fairfax County Park Authority.  People thought I was nuts to accept such low pay with a Ph.D.  What they didn’t understand is that I knew that true expertise arises from immersion and doing,  in addition to academic knowledge.  I immediately began to advocate for more Active Play opportunities for kids, informing the Board of Supervisors in a meeting that what they improperly termed the “obesity problem” was truly an issue of connection and love for movement that it was our job to foster.  I toiled away in local government for the next five years, working long hours running fitness programs and operations for one fitness center, and then transferring to the county’s largest center.  I worked with many children and adolescents, from all walks of life and backgrounds.   I created the FUNction Program (coming to market this summer) and trained hundreds of counselors and teachers in my method of combining game play with movement discovery.   I learned a tremendous amount about facility operation, facility design, program delivery, customer service, and financial management.  I became certified in two of my beloved movement forms, Pilates and yoga, and then a third, Zumba.

I continued to work with the IYCA, developing content and advising youth fitness professionals all over the world.  I also began to work with Exuberant Animal as I realized how important the teachings and writings of Frank Forencich are.  It is this relationship that has proven incredibly beneficial in my further exploration of how movement relates to the development of a human being.

Eventually, I was tapped to run a federal project called Head Start Body Start, a wonderful program that enhances play spaces and programming for children at Head Start centers around the country.   While there, I learned a tremendous amount about how to run a large project ($12 million) and about the inner workings of large organizations.  However, I and others began to realize that my best use is not as an administrator in an office environment, but as an advocate, a scholar, and a designer of Active Play environments.  I further realized that I am not a “boss”, but a teacher and developer of skills.  I am best at creating beautiful programs and experiences.  I am best at connecting with others and accomplishing a mission through collaboration.

So, here I am.  Here is Move Theory.   Move Theory is here to help us all understand that children are complete human beings, with Mind, Body, and Spirit.  They need us to have a 3 dimensional view of them if we are to effectively educate them.  They need us to know that there is no such thing as a lazy child, but there is a such thing as an uninspired child. They need us to understand that it is in our connection to others that true progress is made.

I hope you all “tune in” for the rest of the miniseries (LOL), as I explain what Move Theory really is, and what I plan to accomplish.  Here is a hint, and I deliver this statement with a necessary one measure each of hubris and humility because this is not just me but a small band of incredible individuals aligned in synergy…

Be ready for the world to change.

A while ago, I wrote on the dangers of ideology in education.  This is one such example.  When a thinker buys into an ideology hook, line, and sinker – he or she becomes immediately stupid.  The post referenced above has gems like the following:

“Only parents can be responsible for the education of their children…”

“More importantly, we should rebuild in our culture the idea and practice that fathers bear the primary responsibility of managing the child’s education. That education should occur principally in the home.”

Really?  Why the FATHER?  Are men better equipped to teach history, English, science and math?  Furthermore, when is the father supposed to do all of this?  After work every day?  When is he supposed to build all this subject expertise beyond his current profession?  Or are both parents supposed to quit working to educate the child?  If so, where do they get money for food?  This cannot and will not work.   It is both impractical and chauvinist.  There are many aspects to our economy, including the GDP and the housing market, that depend, by and large, on dual income households.

This represents the same kind of fantasy world thinking that leads people to believe that communism, capitalism, or socialism will solve all of our ills.  This Utopian view prevents them from having to do the difficult, real world work of solving incredibly complex problems and working in concert with others (that may even have different views).  They have the level of ego that says “If everyone would think exactly like me, the world would be perfect”.  The thing is – it’s not true.

And speaking of this adherence to blanket ideologies like “free market values”, here is another doozy:

“A free market, unfettered by government regulation and meddling politicians, would allow our society to experiment and find the best education solutions for our children.”

This sounds really good.  Except it isn’t true.  In the aggregate, secular private schools and charter schools do no better than public schools.   Look no further than Diane Ravitch’s book “The Death and Life of the Great American School System” for a comprehensive view of this issue, with evidence to back it up (something the writer in question here lacks).    The only schools that routinely do better are Catholic Schools.  Why?  They have extensive parental involvement and a system that everyone there has chosen because they believe in it.  Everyone is not Catholic – but the good news is,  this is also true, by the way, of successful public schools and charter schools that boast the aforementioned characteristics.

So let’s talk about what’s actually true, culled from the available evidence, my own 15 year history with children and families, and discussions with many across political spectra and professional backgrounds:

1. Teaching skills are important.

2. Teacher subject knowledge is important.

3. Parental involvement is paramount.

4. We should be looking at what successful schools have and do.

5. We should be replicating some of what these schools do, with input from the community.

6. Education must be a partnership between schools, families, and communities.

7. Education must involve physical movement and robust, natural food.

Enough with this “blow it all up and let’s start over” drivel.  We live in a time where we need real solutions, informed by evidence and thought.  Not reactionary, immature, pie-in-the-sky diatribes.  Our solutions will not be easy.  That ship has sailed.  Who wants to join Move Theory in coming up with real, collaborative, thoughtful solutions to our issues?  Move Theory listens to all sides of an issue, looks at the available evidence, and considers solutions from root causes.

I usually say it more politely than this, but…

I simply don’t care – because it doesn’t matter

And I will tell you why right here and right now, because I am sick of this obsession with measurement:

The childhood obesity epidemic is quite obviously caused by a number of factors, very little of which has to do with how much a child weighs or how far they can run right now.  If those were the true causes – children can see that they are fat, or can’t run very far – they would change it immediately.  The root cause is a lack of a relationship with movement, the lack of an association with movement as fun.  And how does one measure that?  Wideness of smile?  Should we get rulers?

Furthermore, does anyone think that the changes in the short period of time surrounding the period of most studies that can be approved (and funded) in a school or after school setting are certain to be indicative of lasting change?  What we are changing is a relationship, and we are looking for proof that a one night stand happened.  The two do not match up.

I could get a child to do 1000 jumping jacks a day and eat vegetables, and they will for sure lose weight.  But does this create the love for movement?  Does this improve motor ability?  Does this improve self-efficacy? People talk a lot about self esteem, but self esteem is fleeting because it is relative to others and to perception. In other words, we could design programs that got incredibly impressive numbers, but it still wouldn’t change a community.  These programs still wouldn’t change most children’s lives

In designing programs for communities and organizations, I am far more concerned that a child

1. Has fun

2. Feels like they have some level of influence over what happens in their day

3. Gains skill – and more importantly the feeling that they have skill and can accomplish things

4. Finds a connection to something that they love

5. Finds a connection to the outdoors

6. Finds a deeper connection to others

That’s why FUNction – coming to market this summer – is not a fitness program.  Kids sweat, run, jump, throw, and catch, but FUNction is about much more than that.  So, the rest of you can show me your numbers, and I will show you adults in 7-13 years that have a true relationship with movement, and see themselves as competent movers.

Then, Kwame, why do we need anyone with any expertise to design programs?

Good question.  Because through my intensive study and my long history of forming relationships with kids, not because it was my job, but because I truly value them – I get them.   The good news – there are more like me.   I hope to bring you their stories through guest blogs and postings in the near future.

But for now – let’s look for less numbers and more smiles and skills.  If you don’t know how to do that, contact Move Theory and I will help you.  drkwamebrown@movetheory.com

…AS IF!

The fact is – children are NOT sponges!  They are thinking human beings.  They process information.  They are not “empty slates”.  The sooner we all truly realize this, not only intellectually, but in practice – the better. You can’t just tell children things, in a classroom or on a sports field, and expect them to just “absorb”.

Furthermore – we cannot forget the physical development of the child.  This is not just for the sake of their health as a quality of life add on.  That is important too.   The other reason is that they will be less likely to reach their full intellectual potential without physical development achieved through Active Play.  Furthermore – humans can’t reach their full potential without Active Play.

Children need Active Play, Problem Solving Play, Pretend Play, Social Play to get better at processing information.  If Descartes had experienced those things, he would have known that.  They actually need to be included in the active part of forming the questions within the prescribed content.  Their natural inquisitiveness must be cultivated and maintained.   A great educational system will inspire children to ask their own questions.  Yes, children may ask questions that are not informed, or that show a misunderstanding of the material – GOOD!  This is a chance to explore further, not a horrible event.

Both in the classroom and on the field of play, children must be raised in a culture that asks them leading questions, that doesn’t just “tell them what to do”.  What would you have done differently?  What do you think would have gotten a different result?  Do you have any questions for me?   This dialogue can lead to more questions, and further understanding with guidance.

It is high time that we stopped listening to dead philosophers that were damaged goods themselves, and don’t even live here in our present world!   Join me in giving Rene Descartes the rest he so sorely needs.  After all, we’ve been running him around for a while, and he wasn’t in very good shape…

Here is my response:

Play with the kids…It all gets better

I talked about the issue of defining environment and what the environment asks children to do when I was with Head Start Body Start.  You can listen to the interview here.  I want to flesh this idea out a little more with this post.  There is a lot of talk about the “environment” we raise kids in – but what does that even mean?  The first thing to understand is that the environment means more than “nature” or “what kind of neighborhood we live in”.  Further, the environment is both external and internal.  I will explain below.

The Child’s External Environment

The external environment consists of the buildings, space, and the people around us that affect our daily living.  This includes how buildings are built, the materials they are constructed with.   This includes the spaces around us, how they are designed, and how accessible they are to us.  How “connected” are the spaces we use to our needs, our modes of transportation, and our home?   The external environment also means people.  The way they interact with each other, the way they interact with children.  These things are important parts of a child’s environment.  Of further importance is the decisions people make regarding children.  These decisions shape a child’s environment.

The Child’s Internal Environment

This one is a little complex and not obvious to many.  But it is important.  So many think of children as sponges.  They are not.  They are their own people, with their own personalities, and their own “internal dialogue”.  The internal environment of a child is the interaction between their own “spirit”, how they process what is and what happens around them, and their internal dialogue about it.

Let’s Ask the Question Again

What does a child’s environment ask him or her to do?  Well, let’s take a couple of examples for a closer look.

A Neighborhood with access to wide open spaces, safe areas for walking, and adults who believe in allowing Active Play for children…

…asks children to run, jump, somersault, throw, catch, climb, and much more!  It asks them to enjoy nature.  The external environment tells them to interact with others.   Chances are, with all this experience doing stuff, and the feeling that there is support and guidance – the internal environment will tell the children in this neighborhood to explore, grow, move and learn!

A Neighborhood that is overcrowded, with no wide open spaces, and overworked adults who are focused on survival and don’t see time for or value of play…

…asks children to sit, to work, to stay out of the way.  The environment does not ask these children to run, but to be still, confined to a space, and find some way to entertain themselves.  Confined spaces alone don’t have this effect.  That’s why we can’t just talk about the layout of the neighborhood.  Children have, throughout history, found lots of play in some pretty poorly constructed environments.   It is the human part of the external environment that is usually the final nail in the coffin of Active Play.  Chances are, with the experience of sitting around, and with many angry or uninvolved adults around – the external environment will tell the children in this neighborhood that they are not valued.  The internal environment will transform to one of desolation.

Take a look around today. What Does Your Environment Ask Children to Do?  Does it ask children to engage naturally in Active Play? Move Theory creates Active Play environments!

In it, I explain some of the history behind Move Theory, and what my approach is with children.  Enjoy, and share!  Let’s continue to work toward solutions together.