Your Brain is not a Computer! - Ecological Dynamics in Education - A Conversation with Prof. Keith Davids

Professor Keith Davids is Professor of Motor Learning at the
Centre for Sport and Exercise Science. Keith uses an Ecological
Dynamics framework for investigating skill acquisition, expertise
and talent development in sport. He is an applied scientist who
researches how processes of learning, development, performance
preparation and participation in sport, physical activity and
exercise may be facilitated. He reviews implications for coaching
and teaching at elite, sub-elite and recreational levels of
participants, as part of his work. Ecological Dynamics is an
integration of Ecological Psychology, Dynamical Systems theory,
Evolutionary Science and the Science of Complex Systems,
considering individual athletes and teams as complex adaptive
systems, self-organising under interacting constraints. Such
systems change over different timescales, which has significant
implications for learning, development and ageing in children,
adults and elderly people. He has over 30 years experience of
teaching and conducting research in Ecological Dynamics with
collaborators in UK, Portugal, France, Australia, Germany, New
Zealand, Finland, Norway and Sweden in related fields like Sports
Science, Psychology, Behavioural Neuroscience, Sports Coaching,
Physical Education and Human Movement Science. He has held/holds
research positions in the UK (Manchester Metropolitan University:
1991-2003), Finland (University of Jyvaskyla, Finnish
Distinguished Professor: 2012-2016), New Zealand (University of
Otago: 2003-2007), Australia (Queensland University of
Technology: 2006-2014) and Norway (2020-22: Norwegian Sports
Science University (NTNU, Trondheim), Adjunct Research
Professor). His scientific research is applied in the work of
international sports organisations (national and international
teams in Association Football, NFL, Rugby Union and AFL) and
national Institutes of Sport in Australia (AIS), New Zealand
(NZSI), and England (EIS), as well as KIHU (Finnish Olympic
Research Committee) and PESTA (Physical Education and Sports
Teachers Association, Singapore).


Keith is part of the Constraints Collective with Ian Renshaw,
Will Roberts and Danny Newcombe:
https://www.theconstraintscollective.com/


Keith is co-author of the 2019 book, The Constraints-Led
Approach: Principles for Sports Coaching and Practice Design. You
can find links to his other books here and journal publications
here.