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Providing an additional 10 hours professional development per teacher in the
area of O&AA, in context and with feedback and resource development left the teachers
in a much stronger position to implement change and continue to teach a quality
programme of outdoor and adventure activities compared to the national in-service
input alone, thus benefiting from external expertise (Cordingley et al., 2003). Only one
of the teachers had tried to teach O&AA following national in-service in 2005, yet
following completion of a 6-week unit of work in O&AA all but one of these teachers
taught a minimum of four lessons at stage 2 of the PDP. Professional development in
physical education in now seeing a shift in interest towards professional development
that is aligned with classroom conditions, school contexts and teachers’ daily
experiences (Armour & Duncombe, 2004; Armour & Yelling, 2004b; O' Sullivan &
Deglau, 2006; Pope & O' Sullivan, 1998), this PDP provided such support moving
towards this more holistic and real approach.
Teachers’ willingness to change is a complex process and maybe not always a
‘comfortable’ one (Day, 1999, p. 4). Bransford and colleagues (2005) point out that
anyone learning something new for the first time goes through a period of ‘klutziness’
(p.58), as they attempt to acquire new skills and knowledge and whether they persist or
bail out depends on their own sense of their abilities. A number of teachers, during this
period of klutziness at the end of stage 1 and the beginning of stage 2, reported that if
the facilitator had not been present they would not have continued to teach O&AA.
Although described as pressure from the facilitator to teach, it was seen as positive
pressure balanced with support. According to Dewey (1997) it is this state of
discomfort that is the hallmark of the educative experience. A balance between pressure
and support as a characteristic of professional development was not mentioned by
Guskey (2003) in his review of effective characteristics of professional development.
However, Guskey (2002b) and Fullan (2001), purport that pressure and support are
necessary ingredients of PDP success, particularly among those who are less willing to
change (Cordingley et al, 2003; Kabylov, 2006). This research has shown that effective
PDP’s need to ensure that pressure and support are not only present but combine
seamlessly to initiate change in practice.
Given the success of this initial collaboration between the researcher and the
study school, the Department of Education and Skills (DES) should consider facilitating
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