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

Section Three 
Outdoor and Adventure Activities 
The content of the professional development programme in this study focussed 
on a whole school approach to teaching Outdoor and Adventure Activities to all classes 
within the case study school. The inclusion of Outdoor and Adventure Activities 
(O&AA) as one of the six strands in the Physical Education Curriculum, is an indication 
of the value placed by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) on 
the benefits of stimulating experiences gained outside of the classroom in challenging 
learning situations. O&AA calls on children to overcome difficulties, work with and 
trust others, and develop a respect for the environment they find themselves in. In the 
Physical Education Curriculum (Government of Ireland, 1999b), O&AA is concerned 
with walking, cycling, camping and water-based activities, orienteering and outdoor 
challenges. Walking, cycling and camping are activities which may be offered by 
schools along with providing opportunities for canoeing and sailing, to the older classes.
Orienteering combines the geographical skills of map work, the physical activity of 
walking or running and the adventure of exploring unfamiliar locations. Challenges 
include trust or co-operative activities, group problem-solving exercises and physical 

---

75 
challenges. In the UK, similar to Ireland, outdoor and adventurous activities (OAA) 
refers to; ‘those activities which are taught as part of the normal school curriculum; 
using the existing facilities and campus of the primary school; by the generalist class 
teacher, without the need for additional qualifications, and to the whole class at the 
same time’ (Martin, 2000, p. 187). Pickup and Price (2007) believe that OAA holds the 
most potential for learning in the affective, social and cognitive domains. According to 
the Curriculum (Government of Ireland, 1999c) the O&AA strand offers ‘alternative 
avenues for pupil achievement and encouragement to adopt a healthy life-style based on 
an enjoyment and appreciation of the outdoors’ (p. 5). The final strand unit of O&AA 
is, understanding and appreciating Outdoor and Adventure Activities, which Priest and 
Gass (1997) in their book, identify as environmental education, which focuses on the 
child’s awareness and knowledge of the environment and their relationship with the 
environment. Although ‘understanding and appreciation’ is part of O&AA within 
physical education there are overlaps and links can be made with the Social, 
Environmental and Scientific Education Curriculum (Government of Ireland, 1999d). 
According to Priest and Gass (1997) school based outdoor and adventure education 
focuses on learning 
in
and 
through
the outdoors emphasising personal and social 
development. Pickup and Price (2007) state that Outdoor and Adventurous Activities 
(OAA as termed in the UK) are perhaps the most misunderstood area of the National 
Curriculum in Physical Education. Just as adults’ perceptions of games as being rugby, 
basketball or hockey, likewise many teachers equate OAA with rock climbing, canoeing 
and potholing. These specialist activities are well beyond the scope of the generalist 
classroom teacher. While these activities can be introduced by appropriately qualified 
leaders and staff during residential experiences or day trips to outdoor activity/education 
centres, curricular OAA ‘can provide meaningful opportunities for children to 
experience very distinct learning tasks’ (Pickup & Price, 2007, p. 151). Stidder and 
Haasner (2011) acknowledge the reason why outdoor and adventurous activities in UK 
primary schools is neglected is the relative lack of expertise amongst primary school 
teachers. This may also be the case why only 16% of children (Woods et al., 2010), in 
fifth and sixth class, have experienced O&AA in Irish primary schools. O&AA was 
introduced as a strand in 1999 and teachers received two hours National In-service in 
O&AA in 2005, which may account for their lack of competence and confidence in 
teaching O&AA, along with the fact that teachers themselves would not have 
experienced the strand taught to them when they were in school.

---

76 
The following outcomes are all possible for children, through a taught 
programme of O&AA following the Physical Education Curriculum (Government of 
Ireland, 1999b) and Teacher Guidelines (Government of Ireland, 1999c), supplemented 
by the resource materials for teaching physical education (Primary Schools' Sports 
Initiative, 2006): 
Use simple plans and diagrams of their environment, use simple maps, 
use maps and recognise signs and symbols, use maps of known and 
unknown environments. 
Respond to a set challenge.
Work co-operatively with others.
Discuss how to follow trails and solve problems.
Comment how they went about tasks.
Use ideas they have learned from one task to help them solve another.
Recognise other possible approaches. 
Develop trust. 
Give opportunities to develop leadership skills. 
Learn through fun activities. 
According to Martin (2000), ‘the primary focus of OAA is to teach problem 
solving skills to focus on process, to learn to co-operate and to learn from group 
mistakes while participating’ (p. 188). There is limited exposure to danger in the 
O&AA primary curriculum content, however the challenging nature of the activities 
must be acknowledged. Therefore, the teachers must ensure they have planned and 
organised all activities thoroughly paying particular attention to any possible risks that 
may present themselves. Teachers also need to appreciate that in O&AA the learning 
processes are ‘essentially practical, enquiry based, and pupil orientated and that there is 
always potential for personal and social development’ (Hopper, Grey & Maude, 2000, 
p. 78).