Teaching outdoor and adventure activities: an investigation of a primary school physical education professional development p

Resource and material organisation.
To assist the teachers with their class 
management, the equipment was divided into boxes containing the relevant equipment 
for each class level. The boxes were kept in the junior PE store for access by junior 
classes and the main PE stare for access by senior classes. The boxes also related to the 
strand units of O&AA therefore there were two orienteering boxes; one for maps and 
one for photos, a challenge resource box (Sample challenges - Figure 5.4) and a walking 
resource box. Another box contained clipboards, pencils, record sheets for the various 
activities. Larger pieces of equipment were also available in the physical education 
stores, such as cones and hula hoops.
Figure 5.4 Sample challenges – Blind Trail and Hula Hut (blind-folded version) 

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One of the findings from chapter four was that the stores were very unorganised 
(Figure 5.5) prior to the PDP and on completion of materials and resources the stores 
were organised so that all resources, materials and equipment were accessible (Figure 
5.6).
Figure 5.5 Main store room prior to organisation of equipment 
Figure 5.6 Main store room following organisation of equipment 
As the physical education resources and equipment were shared by all teachers, 
it was important to establish safe storage and ensure they were available for everyone’s 
use. The help of the Principal was enlisted (McCaughtry et al., 2006) with the aim of a 
new culture of respecting and returning equipment and resources becoming part of the 
professional development programme. 
Formal communication of information and theory.
Having designed and 
prepared the content for the programme, the next stage was providing the teachers with 
an experience of learning that would enable them to become confident and competent 
teachers delivering a programme of O&AA to children in their class (improving 

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pedagogical content knowledge). Social constructivist learning emphasises a person’s 
active involvement with in their own learning and suggests that learning will be more 
effective when it is active, interactive and authentic (Dunscombe, 2005). Through 
experience, reflection, interaction and discussion teachers can construct understanding 
and knowledge. Vygotsky (1978) also identifies the need to place learning in context, 
linking the constructivist view that learning should be authentic, contextualised and 
situated. Knuth and Cunningham (1993) noted that: 
An important aspect of this approach is the insistence that learning take place 
embedded in the contexts to which it is most relevant in everyday life and with 
which the students are personally involved (p. 164). 
The setting for this learning was the teacher’s own teaching context i.e. their 
own class within their own school. It was important when facilitating the PDP that it 
allowed flexibility to adapt to the needs of individual teachers and their specific context.
The PDP was planned as follows;