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

something like that’
(1 FGC Girl 5). Teachers reported hearing the same from the 
children; 
‘…ok we are doing this but can we have a game after, when can we have our 
game…’
(1 FGT Lena 4). The ‘games fixation’ seemed to occur from third class 
upwards. The junior classes didn’t have this obsession with games, but did look for a 
variety in the activities they were offered in physical education and a variety within 
O&AA. Games were rarely if ever mentioned, by these younger children.

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Perceptions of physical education had altered to a minor extent by the end of the 
PDP. On reflection, I was naïve in assuming that when teachers and children 
experienced a programme of O&AA and quality physical education, they would better 
understand physical education according the Physical Education Curriculum. I also 
assumed they knew what physical education was, but just lacked the confidence to teach 
it. Although teachers and children could see the benefit of a varied programme of 
physical education they reverted to providing or demanding a games programme, which 
in many ways was reverting to their ‘comfort zone’. Upon reflection, on completion of 
the PDP, a recommendation would be that any professional development programme in 
physical education should begin with a philosophical discussion around physical 
education and what is understood by the teachers and children as physical education.
The school community needed to have a physical education ethos on which a PDP 
could develop.
Prior to the PDP teachers did not have had the knowledge and confidence to 
teach physical education (Coulter and Woods, 2007), and they may even have been 
under pressure from parents to teach the ‘core’ subjects of the curriculum; 
PE hasn’t always been seen as …a core subject. You know parents in …[the 
study school]… have huge expectations for their children. Which is a great 
support in terms of school - if parents have high expectations, you know, 
children are coming in ready. You’ve got the support of parents and that. But 
that brings pressure as well on teachers in terms of they feel that the core areas, 
literacy, numeracy they get priority over everything else. So PE may suffer at 
times, because you know, we have an exam in the senior classes next week. So 
that’s an important context. Sometimes teachers feel there’s so much pressure 
to deliver in those core areas, that PE could be easily be put aside once or 
twice.
(IP) 
The PDP exposed teachers to an alternative understanding of physical education.
Following the PDP it was evident that teachers were beginning to understand physical 
education and their comments and facilitator observations, at stage 2, could be matched 
with more key messages of the Physical Education Curriculum (Government of Ireland, 
1999a); 
The development of knowledge and skills over a unit of work; 
‘I thought 
it was good, because there was progression each week …’ 
(2 FGT 
Amanda 1). 

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I think the block [unit of work taught as a block of lessons over a period of 6 
weeks usually] is good because it is like anything else, like the computers, you 
are building up on what you learned last week. If you wait six months you will 
have forgotten. I think the block is good because it is an incremental thing like 
where you must orientate your map the first day, find controls the second day 
and then full blown orienteering. I definitely would block it. (2 FGT Simon 3) 
Physical education included more than just games;