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

particularly when dealing with a new strand of physical education. This twinned 
approach would make for a stronger programme.
Final Thoughts 
The modelled lessons and onsite support individualised to each teacher’s needs 
showed teachers how (pedagogical content knowledge) the resources (content 
knowledge) could be adapted for the children’s learning needs. The fact that the PDP 
used the teacher’s own class in their own school was a very important element in the 
design of the PDP and again showed its relevance to children’s learning. According to 
Bransford and colleagues (2005), ‘learning in the ways they are expected to teach may 
be the most powerful form of teacher education’ (p. 76). They go on to say that most 

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people teach how they are taught, therefore, it was important when modelling to ensure 
best practice was modelled at all times by the facilitator.
Although a direct teaching methodology was employed on occasion, by the 
facilitator, it was necessary initially to ensure teachers became familiar with content and 
pedagogical content knowledge. Cognitive apprenticeship ensured that the modelling 
would not become prescriptive, as the teaching strategies employed by the facilitator 
were explained and discussed with the teachers. Research on pedagogical content 
knowledge in the subject of physical education exists (Rovegno, 1994) but no such 
research specifically on O&AA or in the context of teachers experiencing other PDPs in 
a variety of subjects simultaneously, which was the case in the study school, was found.
To facilitate this labour and time intensive constructivist approach to learning through 
this PDP could prove difficult in a number of schools due to their very nature, with 
school closures, absent teachers, class trips, and theme days in the school hall and so on.
This is particularly relevant to professional development for physical education where 
the subject may be dependent on a school hall or the weather, if outside, for provision of 
physical education. Other subjects at least take place in the teacher’s classroom. The 
findings in this study outline the extensive opportunities that teachers had to explore the 
physical education subject content of outdoor and adventure activities, however they 
also show that it is complex. Teachers need more opportunities to engage with subject 
content and to develop understanding of the nature and content of physical education 
(Borko & Putman, 1996). Teachers also need opportunities to communicate and 
collaborate through communities of practice to enable sustained support. Support was 
beginning to be given to teachers by teachers as knowledge and understanding were 
extended. Further support was identified by teachers if the programme or their teaching 
context was to change or develop beyond that facilitated, supporting the findings of 
Armour and Duncombe (2004), and O’ Sullivan and Deglau (2006) in their studies 
where effective professional development requires on-going support to extend practice.