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

The Design of the Professional Development Programme 
The provision of a PDP that would prepare the teachers, a very diverse group, to 
teach O&AA across the school demanded careful attention. Initially, the literature on 
professional development, teacher knowledge and teacher change as outlined in chapter 
two, coupled with the findings outlined in chapter four, underpinned by social 
constructivist theory, informed the PDP design. A summary of these considerations 
pertinent to the design and facilitation of the PDP are outlined as follows: 
Recognise the diversity of the teachers and acknowledge their learning 
preferences within their individual contexts 
Engage the teachers in the PDP process itself, be flexible and allow for 
negotiation and encourage collective participation 
Introduce new techniques and provide for active learning using concrete 
experiences through modelling and other support methods ensuring all 
reflect good practice 
Provide concrete resources and materials relevant to each class for each 
teacher ensuring content emphasises skill development in a continuous 
and progressive way 
Encourage reflection and questioning by teachers to consolidate learning 
Allow teachers to practice where willing and ensure feedback is provided 
Be informed by the curriculum (Government of Ireland, 1999b), teacher 
guidelines (Government of Ireland, 1999c) and the resource materials for 
teaching primary physical education (Primary Schools' Sports Initiative, 
2006) as core texts 
Evaluate regularly to ensure the aims of the PDP are meeting the needs 
of the teachers and children 
Social constructivism concerns the way in which people construct meaning in 
their world. The idea is that the teachers can actively construct or build up new 
knowledge through this contextualised PDP rather than just absorbing information from 
the facilitator or written resources. Therefore, a constructivist learning environment, 
where opportunities for learning were made available to the teachers (Fosnot, 2005), 

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was developed as an element of the PDP, promoting active learning. Kirk and 
MacDondald (1998) argue that constructivist learning is multidimensional therefore 
various teaching methods should not be ruled out but be seen as on a continuum with 
instructional methods at one end and constructivism at the other. This study was 
informed by the social constructivist approach and consequently opportunities for 
learning became a collective process involving the whole school and through the 
teachers’ interactions with the facilitator (Patton, Parker & Neutzling, 2011), each other, 
their environment and the children.
Therefore, social constructivism, embodied in the theory of cognitive 
apprenticeship (Collins et al., 1987; Collins et al., 1991), in Caffarella’s Interactive 
Model of Programme Planning (Caffarella, 2002) and in Joyce and Showers Model of 
In-service Education and Training (Joyce & Showers, 1988) aligned with the principles 
of effective physical education professional development provided a framework for the 
development of the PDP. The framework is as follows: 
1.
Context knowledge and developing a partnership 
2.
Negotiating programme implementation
3.
Developing the programme (resources and materials) 
4.
Formal communication of information and theory 
a.
Modelling: using theory of cognitive apprenticeship 
b.
Simulated Practice: trying out new skills in controlled conditions 
c.
Coaching for application: support while practicing the new skill 
d.
Feedback: discussion and reflection on outcomes of the above 
5.
Evaluation