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

Summary 
Much has been written internationally on professional development and 
effective professional development in the area of physical education, this study sought 
to bring the lessons learned from these studies to an Irish context. To work closely with 
a school community, over time, to build their knowledge and expertise in physical 
education and more specifically the strand of Outdoor and Adventure Activities was the 
intended outcome. The results outlined the support, knowledge and perspectives of 

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principal, teachers and children to the PDP. At completion of stage 1, the teachers and 
children were positive about their experiences during the PDP and looked forward to 
teaching the strand in the forthcoming year. Provision of resources and support through 
modelling by an external expert were reported as playing a strong role in the adoption of 
the PDP. A very big step was taken, whereby every child and teacher in the school 
experienced a programme of O&AA, establishing both teacher and curricular change 
within the school. Structural change was also evident in school systems whereby issues 
with storage of resources, timetabling and access to facilities were negotiated in order to 
facilitate change and improve teaching conditions for the teachers. The findings also 
pointed to aspects of the PDP where further changes needed to be made to include 
different types of teacher learners, further support for teachers who move class levels, 
support in planning and organisation of equipment, and technical language.
Considering the background of the teachers and their initial lack of content knowledge 
in the area of O&AA, stage 2 demonstrated that the PDP was effective and teachers 
gained confidence as their knowledge expanded allowing them to teach a programme of 
O&AA with minimal support. It also identified that support was necessary to get to this 
stage and further support was identified by individual teachers in specific areas of 
content and pedagogical content knowledge. Teachers’ and children’s perceptions of 
physical education began to change as the PDP progressed. Teachers recognised child 
learning in physical education as a result of the PDP and teacher collaboration was 
identified as a legacy of the PDP.
The findings will be discussed in the next chapter drawing upon the literature on 
professional development, teacher change and programme evaluation and social 
constructivist theory to provide a deeper understanding of the process of professional 
development and the challenges it may face when attempting to facilitate a PDP with 
teachers in schools. 

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