1. A New Approach for Physical Literacy Using
Health and Outdoor Physical Education
Ryan Kasperowitsch
Department of Graduate and Undergraduate
Studies in Education
Submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for EDUC 5Q97
Faculty of Education, Brock University
St. Catharines, Ontario
© Ryan Kasperowitsch 2016

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As an outdoor educator and adventure guide, I have had the wondrous job of taking youth out
on wilderness trips for transformational experiences. Engaging participants in emotionally and
physically challenging environments has helped me observe the many benefits of Outdoor Adventure
Education (OAE). This has developed my understanding of the potential for Outdoor Physical Literacy
(OPL) as being of value to students in an institutional context. Building on Mezirow's (1990)
transformational learning theory, this paper will discuss why OAE principles should be integrated into
the current Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculum. Stakeholders will see value from
integration to affect change in organizational culture. By outlining the principles of the OAE approach
and the current curriculum of HPE, I will illustrate a strong relationship between them by connecting
current HPE and OAE practices to produce a holistic outcome for students as OPL. Upon framing OPL
as the enriched outcome of HPE, I will elaborate on how this can be achieved in schools currently
through research about organizational change and providing examples of schools that have successfully
implemented similar programs. What I am proposing is a shift from the way we look at physical
literacy from HPE programming, to be an enriched program of Health and Outdoor Physical Education
(HOPE).
Outdoor Adventure Education
The Outcomes of OAE
As an outdoor educator, my experience over the last fifteen years has been gained through
guiding in a myriad of contexts in the adventure community. Working with day trips, multi-day
expeditions, outdoor education workshops and seminars, technical skill development and training, and
summer camp programming, has given me a varied perspective on the outcomes of OAE. I have seen
firsthand what benefits these types of experiences have for the participants or students. Shifting the
way one might approach HPE with incorporation of outdoor principles, it is important to discuss the
outcomes of OAE programming, and provide an overview of the skills that participants gain for

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transfer of learning.
The beneficial outcomes of any program can be assessed by the technical skills, or hard skills,
that one gains through that experience. When we look at an academic course, for example, one can test
and score a student on their abilities learned in the subject matter, and this gives the teacher and student
an explicit score for how well that student retained the designated skills. In OAE, these hard skills that
are learned are also visible outcomes of the program, where the participant is able to demonstrate the
learned skills. These hard skills attained in OAE usually involve technical skills in an array of outdoor
recreation activities (camping, paddlesports, climbing, etc.), medical and safety procedures, cooking
and nutrition, navigation and orienteering, and physical fitness capacities.
These are all great skills to have in the context of outdoor recreation and activity, which I will
refer back to later as I discuss how useful they become in the future. As useful as these skills might be
for adventure in the outdoors, the immediately meaningful and transferable outcomes of OAE lie in the
soft skill development in the participant. The facilitation of the experience itself evokes development
in nuanced abilities and knowledge in leadership techniques, team dynamics, group communication and
conflict resolution, resilience development, character building, critical thinking and problem solving,
and reflection and self-actualization. Underpinned is also a deepening of ethical and moral
positionalities regarding nature, and therefore a developed connection to the natural environment.
A definition of outdoor education as provided by Dyment and Potter (2015), states that
“historical constructions of the term outdoor education focus on the role of nature, risk, adventure, skill
development, and social and interpersonal development. More contemporary constructs include
notions of place, the environment, sustainability, and social change” (p. 196). This depiction of
outdoor education parallels what I have presented as being the beneficial outcomes for OAE
programming, and gives me a foundation for my proposal of HPE enrichment, to be discussed later.
OAE With Transformational Learning Theory

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OAE lives in the realm of transformational learning, and as such provides an opportunity for
vast learning and development of the student or participant. To give a theoretical framework to my
proposition, I will discuss transformational learning theory as it pertains to OAE programming.
When leading OAE programming, a critical aspect of the experience I must facilitate is the
reflection sessions which debrief any significant point of the experience. This could be at the end of a
day of paddling, after a moment of contention in the group, after completing a challenging aspect of the
program, or even following an emergency situation. Mezirow (1990), refers to reflection as
a generic term for those intellectual and affective activities in which individuals engage to
explore experiences in order to lead to new understandings and appreciation. By this definition,
reflection would include making inferences, generalizations, analogies, discriminations, and
evaluations, as well as feeling, remembering, and solving problems. It also seems to refer to
using beliefs to make an interpretation, to analyze, perform, discuss, or judge – however
unaware one may be of doing so (p. 5).
To relate this definition and importance of reflection to the context of OAE, “Transformative
learning is often precipitated by a 'disorienting dilemma,' which is followed by critical self-reflection,
social interactions, planning for action, and building competence and self-confidence in new roles and
relationships as a result of taking action” (D'Amato & Krasny, 2011, p. 239). Mirroring the soft skills I
presented as the beneficial outcomes of OAE, transformational learning theory provides the base for
which development is built upon for participants.
Looking at findings in the research by D'Amato and Krasny (2011), in the examination of an
OAE course, they stated that,
Four main themes emerged from the data analysis as important aspects of the course and as
elements that contributed to personal transformations and changes in behavior: living in pristine
nature, experiencing a different lifestyle, being part of the course community, and dealing with

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the intensity and challenges of the course (p. 242).
To enrich OAE programming, they are using transformational learning as a bolster to the
desired development and outcomes, explaining that, “Whereas our results are consistent with those of
other studies that have demonstrated personal growth outcomes of OAE, this study makes a unique
contribution in its explicit application of a transformational learning lens to explore several avenues for
integrating personal growth and instrumental outcomes in OAE” (D'Amato & Krasny, 2011, p. 247).
Using critical reflection as an avenue for self assessment and actualization provides the
transformational experience available through OAE programming.
Physical Literacy
Outlining the Physical Literacy Approach
Before I even begin my proposal of incorporating the principles of OAE into the current HPE
approach, I must first discuss what the current intended outcome of HPE curriculum is: physical
literacy. The following will outline physical literacy and its proposed benefits, as well as illustrate how
physical literacy is being taught in HPE programming.
Looking into the research by Castelli, Centeio, Beighle, Carson, and Nicksic (2014), they state
that,
The term physical literacy is directed towards exhibiting a healthy lifestyle through the growth
of competent movers by emphasizing the growth of the whole child. Like other forms of
literacy, physical literacy has far-reaching applications as it is not only about understanding and
engaging in physical activity, but also about expressing health habits and actualizing
capabilities ( p. 96).
The intention is to provide students with the ability to be physically proficient in recreation and
sport, and to stay active and live healthily through the lifespan. This is achieved through engaging
students in ball/collegiate sports and regular fitness testing, in order to provide students with the

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capacity to engage in these sports in the future, which take place in a gymnasium, field, or classroom
environment.
Furthermore, Roetert and Jeffries (2014) illustrate that “physical literacy involves a continuum
of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and
to participate fully in their community and wider society” (p. 38). This assertion leads physical literacy
to begin development of the individual beyond physical capacities, and into social community
engagement as a holistic approach to health and wellness. This introduction of a holistic approach
states that “physically literate individuals not only move efficiently, but also move creatively,
competently, and with enthusiasm” (p. 38), and that we engage students with “physical literacy as a
disposition to capitalize on our human embodied capability wherein the individual has the motivation,
confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and take responsibility for
maintaining purposeful physical pursuits and activities throughout the life course” (p. 38).
This sounds plausible in unlocking these developmental aspects of individuals through HPE
curriculum; however, in my experience working in the recreation field, I have observed a contrasting
health and recreation culture in the individuals I interact with every day. It seems to me that there is
something that is lost in translation from physical literacy theory, to practice in real life.
Limitations of Physical Literacy
What I have observed in many years of working in the recreation community of practice is that
the motivation for engagement in physical activities and recreation is not produced by the learning of
physical literacy as it is presented in academic contexts. The theory of physical literacy has the
potential to holistically educate our students to pursue activity and healthy practices; however it falls
short of the potential outcomes it intends to achieve. The following will illustrate through my own
experiences the shortcomings of the physical literacy approach, and how this stems from the way
schools continue to facilitate HPE curriculum.

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To begin describing what physical literacy is not supplying to our students, it is first beneficial
to illustrate some of the concerns and issues that are being observed in our population related to
physical engagement and healthy life choices. For example, Roetert and Jeffries (2014), outlined major
trends and concerns in our field that relate to physical education and lifetime engagement in physical
activity:
• Fewer people are continuing physical activity after leaving school
• Sedentary leisure pursuits are on the rise
• Cases of obesity – and stress-related conditions are increasing
• In many schools and physical activity settings there was, and remains, a subtle move towards
high-level performance as the principal focus of the subject (p. 38).
These are the concerns, which as I previously presented physical literacy is intending to combat. What
I will attempt to unpack in this section is why physical literacy is unable to attend to these issues and
concerns.
What I have experienced working in the recreation field is that the current HPE approach is not
consistent with what our culture engages in for physical activities as they mature, as it provides sport
capacities that are not relevant to many of the students upon exit of a collegiate context. For example,
a student may learn the technical and strategic aspects of the game of basketball; however, upon exiting
a collegiate environment, the opportunity to use this acquired sport skill is greatly decreased. Venues
for organized sport become less accessible, costly, and in many cases are saved only for the highly
proficient. This leads to the supporting of the first two concerns presented above, in the cessation of
physical activity post academia, and a shift towards sedentary activities which permeate our culture.
Also related to the lack of engagement in physical activity upon leaving a school environment,
is the rise in obesity and stress-related illnesses. If the intended outcome of physical literacy is to

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motivate and engage students in lifelong physical activity and health choices, then there is something
that is providing a barrier to the success of this initiative. This is paralleled with a curriculum that does
not provide a holistic approach to engaging students in a healthy and well-rounded lifestyle for the
future
Lastly, the focus on performative sport is a concern for educators, as this shows a lack of
providing an environment which supports all students, not just particular athletes or individuals. With a
focus on only high-level collegiate sport education, this marginalizes any other student who does not fit
the criteria which the institution implicitly ascribes. This can actually deter students from being active
in the future due to common feelings of emotional and physical trauma in the nature of HPE
programming. This is supported by Nguyen (2015), stating that this type of sport education leads to
“Low motivation to participate in traditional or team sports, apathy toward competitive environments,
and a low rate of transfer of skills to lifetime activities and wellness can be barriers for students’ pursuit
of lifelong fitness” (p. 34).
It is starting to become clear that there needs to be a paradigm shift in the way that we as
educators present HPE, in that “Educators have a great opportunity and responsibility to create an
environment that will positively impact children throughout their lives. The experience each child has
concerning PA magnifies over their lifespan, highlighting physical, cognitive and affective domain
implications either positively or negatively” (Castelli et al., 2015, p. 161). What will follow is my
rationale and proposition for incorporating outdoor education principles into our HPE programs, in
order to provide an enriching and holistic experience leading to lifelong activity and health practices.
Connecting OAE principles with Physical Literacy for OPL
The Desire for Outdoor Adventure
Based on over ten years of being an outdoor educator and adventure guide in many different
contexts, I have gained an understanding of what is desired for physical activity engagement

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throughout the lifespan. Working with families, corporate groups, academic institutions, and a myriad
of other groups, I have observed and experienced the recreation and physical activity habits of many
individuals. What I have found is an overwhelming pull towards outdoor adventure activities and the
environments they take place in. I feel that infusing what is consistent with our activity practices as we
age into HPE in schools, educators can be given the opportunity to develop Outdoor Physical Literacy
in our students for a more fulfilling and successful approach to live an active and healthy lifespan.
Research is showing that individuals are finding an increasing value in outdoor recreation
activities, as “The annual Outdoor Participation Report (Outdoor Foundation 2013) reported that nearly
half – 49.4 percent – of all Americans participated in some form of outdoor recreation in 2012, and
nearly 142 million participated since 2011. The report also stated that introducing outdoor recreation
and physical activities early in life has a lasting effect. Among adults who are current outdoor
participants, 75 percent had physical education and 42 percent enjoyed outdoor activities in elementary
school” (Nguyen, 2015, p. 34). This supports my experience and observations with many participants,
as they desire and seek out alternative physical pursuits to the traditional team and ball sports that are
taught in schools. What this inevitably leads to is an arrival at outdoor recreation activities.
I see many reasons for this, which I will illustrate here, as this will provide an understanding
why the shift towards OPL is a prudent direction for HPE educators. The first major factor in choosing
outdoor recreation lies in the changes that occur through the lifespan. Life changes like physiology
(age, strength or endurance, injuries and ailments, etc.), career, family, personal values, all lead many
towards recreation activities that are not in alignment with what the HPE curriculum provides, and
leads to a desire for an alternative. This alternative is found in outdoor recreation activities, and
provide the opportunity for physical activity experiences for any individual.
The nature of outdoor recreation activities being that they can be modified for challenge and
provide development of affective dimensions, allow accessible engagement in recreation for aging

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populations. The expectation that mature populations will engage in traditional collegiate sports is
foolhardy, and sheds light on the answer to my question of why we shouldn't be offering collegiate
sports as our foundation for physical engagement through the lifespan.
In my experience, I also observe as participants age a growing desire to access, and a newly
found value, in the natural environment which outdoor recreation takes place in. With the trend of
environmental awareness and consciousness in our culture, the number of participants I engage with
who are pursuing these recreation options for this sole reason is steadily increasing. What is tragic to
me is that this is only becoming apparent in individuals as they mature.
Shifting to Health and Outdoor Physical Education (HOPE)
By outlining the desire for outdoor physical pursuits above, this represents my observed and
experienced perspective of our culture's physical and health behaviours, and the misalignment with
HPE programming. What this has spurred in me is a responsibility to develop a new approach to HPE,
with an incorporation of OAE principles, in order to more successfully engage students in active
healthy lifestyles. The following will illustrate my proposed outcome of HPE being Outdoor Physical
Literacy, and will result in the shift towards the offering of Health and Outdoor Physical Education.
It is not just my own assertion that educators need to rethink the way they approach HPE, as
research by Nguyen (2015) provides a rationale and need for “a more holistic approach to physical
education coming from a broader conception . . . . Physical education is much broader than just
physical activity, and we harm the future potential of our field if we adopt a narrow agenda. Adding an
outdoor component can be a solution for some of these problems” (p. 34). This is also supported by a
recent call for more outdoor recreation activities for youth from ParticipACTION (2015), stating that
“Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks—is essential for healthy child
development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all
settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature” (p. 8).

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The following will give a brief outline of what I feel would be involved in shifting our current
practices to a holistic and ultimately more successful facilitation of HPE for lifelong active and healthy
living. My proposition of OPL is an enrichment of what we already see as the outcome of physical
literacy, with an incorporation of traditional outdoor adventure sports which offer a differentiated
approach to engaging students in physical activity. This is commonly misunderstood as requiring
advanced resources, time, commitment, and training; however, I am approaching facilitation from a
more accessible fashion. A nature hike in a local natural environment, for example, would engage the
students in physical activity in a context that is accessible to them at any time, and provides them with
connections with their sense of place, enhanced value of the environment, social relationships within
the students' culture, an activity and place to share with their friends and family, and an opportunity to
reflect on their experience for transformation of positionalities related to their health and lifestyle
practices. Offering other outdoor experiences similar to this one presented would bolster the physical
literacy outcomes with those of OAE programs.
In my experience, one of the rudimentary and most common outdoor activities is camping. This
is an activity which individuals of all ages, physical abilities, culture or religion, and class can
participate in. The experience itself, and the meaning or value found in the experience is universal, so
this provides a unique opportunity for families to engage in physical activity, and improve affective
dimensions. The hard skills I mentioned previously are an important part of OAE programming, and I
feel should be incorporated into HPE with the OPL approach. Providing students with fundamental
skills for camping, as a starting point, gives students the skills to safely start exploring their alternative
outdoor activity options.
Engaging in outdoor recreation activities supports the curriculum's outcome of physical literacy
through providing the students with the capacities to engage in alternative recreation throughout the
lifespan, and through this develops healthy lifestyle positionalities. However, this enriches the current

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offering with ethical development regarding social and environmental issues; therefore leading to
further value and connection to the natural environment.
Using Critical Reflection as a Way to Access Transformational Learning
Aside from the outdoor activities being taught and learned, I draw from the previously
presented transformational learning theory's critical component: reflection. Something which is
lacking entirely from HPE facilitation is reflecting on the experience. Physical activity and health is
something that is very personal, and the value is different between every individual. By facilitating
reflection sessions as OAE does, this can help students find deeper meaning in their physical pursuits,
and ascribe feelings and emotions which connect them to their experiences. If the intent is to elicit
further engagement and participation, then HPE educators are doing a disservice to their subject by not
enhancing their students' experiences with personal connections. I feel that debriefing physical
activities with personal reflection is critical to finding meaning and value in physical pursuits in the
future. This is a crucial part of the OPL approach I am proposing, as this provides the holistic
outcomes that are hoped for which physical literacy alone does not supply.
Furthermore, I feel that in alignment with what is trending in schools currently, OPL allows for
better cross-curricular initiatives. Environmental education, as part of outdoor recreation practices,
align with many science and geography subjects. Students can use their experiences in natural
environments to inform their understanding in related subject matter, with an enrichment of lived
experiences. OAE reflection practices align with English and the arts, and provide opportunities for
heightened self-awareness and actualization for better engagement in literature and creative curriculum.
The soft skills previously mentioned attained through outdoor experiences holistically develops
students with leadership, team dynamics, critical thinking and problem solving, and character and
resilience development. I feel that engaging students to develop these skills through the HOPE
approach will positively affect the school culture and capacities of its students.

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To help contextualize my proposed approach of HOPE, Figure 1 shows a collaboration of OAE
practices, critical reflection, nature connectivity, physical literacy, and HPE curriculum, allowing for a
transformational learning experience. My assertion is that by ascribing to the model as presented, HPE
can shift towards a more holistic approach to lifespan physical and health engagement.

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Figure 1. The transformational tree of HOPE
Outdoor
Adventure
Education
Critical Reflection
Nature
Connectivity
Physical Literacy
HPE Curriculum

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So through gaining an understanding of what Health and Outdoor Physical Education would
provide to our students, this begs the question: how do we move towards implementation of this shift
towards HOPE? This will be discussed in the section that follows, and will try to answer the question
of how this can be practically implemented.
Providing a Clear Vision and Rationale for Organizational Change
A vision in itself does not make for change. It is in the human capacities of the organization
which hold the key to unlocking such change. Represented by change theory, a deep understanding of
the initiative itself by stakeholders, combined with a plan for motivation of stakeholders, is where
change can start to occur. As Fullan (2006) poses, “Change theory or change knowledge can be very
powerful in informing education reform strategies and, in turn, getting results – but only in the hands
(and minds, and hearts) of people who have a deep knowledge of the dynamics of how the factors in
question operate to get particular results” (p. 3). Furthermore, he states that “If one’s theory of action
does not motivate people to put in the effort – individually and collectively – that is necessary to get
results, improvement is not possible” (Fullan, 2006, p. 8). It seems that without the tacit understanding
and intrinsic motivation to move forward with an initiative, there is little chance for the initiative to get
off the ground.
So for an initiative that is founded on experience, and the tacit learning that comes from the
expert facilitation of such an experience, how can stakeholders (teachers, administrators, parents,
students) in a traditional education institution understand the rational and be motivated to enact change
for something that is so unknown?
Firsthand Experience for Professional Development of Educational Leaders
The critical way in which stakeholders in education can understand the benefits of a program in
outdoor education, is through personal experience. “Those concerned with understanding school
improvement and systemic change as practiced must analyze the rationale underlying such activity,

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even though it may not be explicitly stated” (Adelman & Taylor, 2007, p. 59), and in the case of
outdoor education, an analysis of the rationale cannot be attained by reading a curriculum outline or
action plan. An understanding is attained through the rich and meaningful experience in itself. This
could be a simple action such as, “Inviting local stakeholders to an outdoor meeting to discuss outdoor
learning is one way to begin. By familiarizing oneself with outdoor learning practices, educational
leaders may begin to shift school practices” (Banack, 2015, p. 46), but to really embody the value of
OAE, stakeholders must have a richer experience. The rationale for OAE is sometimes not explicitly
stated, even when on trip, so the implied rationale that is felt by genuine experience in the program is
the only effective way to help stakeholders understand the underlying rationale. When looking at
teacher training, there is little to no offering of outdoor education perspectives. The following will
present a paralleled incorporation of environmental education practices into the teaching repertoire of
science teachers, and support a proposal of differentiated teacher training techniques.
Supporting OE Teacher Training Using Environmental Education Professional Development
To bolster this understanding of the rationale, teachers and other stakeholders must be engaged
in professional development related to the subject area of OAE. Whether it be in teacher education
from the very start, or following up with professional development while in service, the teachers are the
first place to begin cultivating inspiration for affecting change in the curriculum. Research from
Sondergeld, Milner & Rop (2014), discusses the effect of Environmental Education (EE) professional
development programming, and how it has provided teachers with an improved self perception of their
knowledge and confidence to provide environmental literacy to their students. To give a brief
description of EE, the authors state that, “In reviewing literature on environmental education, several
core characteristics became evident in effective programs. Environmental education should: make use
of the outdoors, integrate multiple content areas, make education relevant to students, be presented as a
lifelong learning process, and use social contexts” (Sondergeld, Milner & Rop, 2014, p. 283).

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Supporting the need for experiential learning as a critical part of any educational program,
“Incorporating subject integration and utilizing many content areas is important in promoting a holistic
understanding of environmental education. If we teach economics without reference to physical and
natural systems,we teach children that physics and ecology have nothing to do with the economy. That
happens to be totally wrong” (Sondergeld, Milner & Rop, 2014, p. 283).
The authors' research studied a sample of teachers that were engaged in an EE professional
development program, and were administered a survey related to transferring learning in a field
experience to the classroom. The research stated: “Survey results indicate that 95% of the teachers felt
they had participated in hands-on activities they would use in their own classrooms, and 89% believed
they were introduced to useful methods for transferring new knowledge and skills to their classrooms.
Collectively, these results suggest the activities were practical and created a foundation for the teachers
as they learned useful methods for transferring new knowledge and skills to their classrooms”
(Sondergeld, Milner & Rop, 2014, p. 290). This illustrates that the teachers valued this highly
meaningful experience, which provided them with tangible outcomes for which to apply in their
classroom to follow. More importantly than the transfer of learning achieved, the teachers gained more
tacit skills and dispositions, as the authors illustrate that, “A two-week intensive summer program may
not turn our teachers into naturalists themselves, but according to our participants it enhanced internal
factors such as feelings, memories, enthusiasm, and knowledge of their local environment” (p. 292).
The enthusiasm is what can be then drawn out to help develop the motivation of the teachers, and
vicariously any other stakeholders, to enact change within the curriculum.
In research presented by Lambert (2007), she discusses high leadership capacity in schools, and
states that “The features of leadership capacity evolve through the beliefs and behaviors of principals,
teachers, parents, superintendents and students. Often the translation of conceptual frames into practice
is dramatically assisted by school coaches and facilitators” (p. 314). In the case of the EE program, the

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facilitators of the professional development offered the translation of concepts into practice to evolve
the beliefs and behaviours of teachers. Through this engagement in teacher professional development,
they become the agents of enacting change, wherein their “Roles and actions reflect broad involvement,
collaboration & collective responsibility” (p. 313), allowing for high leadership capacity through a
development of teacher beliefs and behaviours. Drew (2010), supports this proposal of teacher
development as a critical aspect of leading a new initiative, stating that “change leadership calls for a
focus on the people expected to work with the change rather than relying upon a devised system or
structure” (p. 65). The teachers which are involved in the proposed programming are the ones in which
to focus development on, and therefore the collective motivation and 'buy in' can be evoked from the
rest of the stakeholders. A curriculum or action plan in itself will not provide the rationale that the
teachers would hope to illustrate, so by enacting leadership capacity within the staff involved in the
program, they can hope to influence the other parties which would benefit through a clear vision and
rationale.
Outdoor education has also created its' own barriers however, as it is still trying to find its' place
in the school curriculum. “Outdoor education has traditionally distanced itself from physical education
by associating itself with environmental education and emphasizing its environmental content, while
outdoor recreation is solidly situated within the Health and Physical Education Domain” (Gough,
2007), so Outdoor Education does not fit into one area of study. This is supported by the fact that OAE
companies are traditionally the ones to privately facilitate programs as extracurricular options for
students; however, this is based on school and community resources to even be able to provide this
service to the students. Unfortunately this tends to favour only schools which have resources to
allocate to programs of this nature. Incorporation of OAE programs into the foundation of all school
curriculum would allow for any students to reap the benefits of such techniques. So when looking at
how this might be achieved, one can draw upon the motivation of stakeholders in all educational

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institutions through an understanding of the rationale as previously presented.
Looking to the Past to Build the Future
Important to note for this case in particular of incorporation of OAE practices, is analysis of the
research presented by Hargreaves (2007), related to sustainable leadership. Discussed is the balance of
reflection on the past, and looking forward to future initiatives. He states that, “Whenever changes are
being considered, sustainable leadership should look to the past for precedents that can be reinvented
and refined and for evidence of what has succeeded or failed before. This does not mean living in the
past, but it does mean valuing and learning from it” (Hargreaves, 2007, p. 226). To relate to the posited
program of OAE to be incorporated into current curriculum, educational institutions can look towards
some of the other privatized companies which specialize in Outdoor Education techniques. Outward
Bound, a wilderness and leadership program which was started by Kurt Hahn, has been incredibly
successful since it's manifestation in 1941. Additionally, the National Outdoor Leadership School
(NOLS), started by Paul Petzoldt in 1965, is another shining beacon of successful OAE institutions
around the world. Through historical analysis of these companies, school boards can learn and find
value in the success of the programming. OAE is not something that is innovative or groundbreaking,
but rather it is something that has not been accepted as a technique for traditional schooling. By
looking into the past of these companies and incorporating some of their successes into current school
curriculum, teachers, principals, and other stakeholders can reinvent and refine future perspectives and
philosophies related to OAE. Hargreaves (2007), states that “Sustainable leadership, improvement and
change connect the future to the past through coherent life narratives and compelling social visions
about where the society has been and where it is headed” (p. 232). Through analysis of the historical
successes of educational programming in outdoor contexts, it is possible to illustrate the rationale of
OAE incorporation even to those that do not experience it first hand (principals, administration, other
stakeholders), and build that motivation and value that is needed to support change initiatives.

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So by looking into some of the research theories related to educational change, a number of
options present themselves for effective support of new initiatives. An opportunity to physically
experience the process allows for teachers to deeply understand the intended outcomes and benefits of
the proposed initiative. Related to this, professional development within the context of OAE can help
shift dispositions and behaviours related to the new programming as well. And to reflect on the past,
and look to other historically successful programming in OAE, the stakeholders that may not have the
opportunity to experience the process themselves, can apply the meaningful and valuable past practices
to refine any new initiatives in the future. It is through a combination of a few techniques as presented,
which can help engage and empower the human resources of education institutions to drive motivation
for change. Building this capacity of motivation within all members incorporated in the initiative is an
important part of truly getting the project of the ground, and being able to sustain this initiative for the
future.
Shifting Organizational Culture for Implementation
Upon an understanding of the rationale, it is then imperative for teachers, as the foundation, to
be engaged in professional development in OAE to foster a shift in thinking through dispositional
change and motivation. The following will provide an argument that through professional development
of teachers, schools will benefit positively in organizational culture and leadership capacities, related to
distributed leadership, due to the nature of OAE techniques.
Returning to an enhancement of understanding of OAE program outcomes, it is important to
present a view of the soft skill development of trip programming. Synonymous with OAE techniques
is a development of leadership and interpersonal skills. Other character building outcomes lie in
resilience, determination, self actualization, and a greater understanding of one's self-efficacy. These
characteristics are what one may consider to be those of a competent leader. Kass & Grandzol (2012)
support this depiction by stating that, “leaders who have the requisite traits—drive, desire to lead, self-

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confidence, honesty (and integrity), cognitive ability, and industry knowledge—have a considerable
advantage over those who lack these traits” (p. 432). So through a proposal of OAE teacher training
and professional development, this process would effectively be fostering leadership realization within
all teachers. This secondary outcome of OAE training can help drastically change the organizational
culture and leadership capacity of educational institutions, alongside the tangible training outcomes of
classroom strategies and techniques. It is not just a shift in curriculum, but also the beliefs, values, and
behaviour of our educational leaders.
Banack (2015), suggests that OAE curriculum can be implemented when, “educators change
their own behaviors before asking others to change. Educational leaders may lead by role modeling
such practices. For example, educational leaders could bicycle to school, eat their lunch outdoors,
schedule meetings outdoors, and plan school-community events outdoors” (p.46). This is similar to a
'practice what you preach' philosophy, but it is much more impactful than one might first observe.
Connely, James & Beales (2011), state that organizational culture “covers the meanings, values, beliefs,
myths, stories, as well as the rites, rituals, and ceremonies that take place in organizations” (p. 425). If
teachers, as role models, shift their beliefs and values to the way that OAE techniques have shown they
do, then this can create a culture which allows for holistic learning. Presenting themselves as
environmentally conscious, physically engaged, reflective, and emotionally balanced individuals,
teachers who embody OAE practices can change organizational behaviour to promote a holistic
approach to the institution, and possibly impact the community in turn.
Developing School Leadership Capacity as a Hidden Outcome
Developing schools to have high leadership capacity is one of the far reaching benefits that
OAE programming can achieve, and can provide opportunities for distributed leadership in
organizational culture. The term distributed leadership refers to:
An alternative perspective (to the heroic leader) that is slowly gaining more adherents is to

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define leadership as a shared process of enhancing the individual and collective capacity of
people to accomplish their work effectively. Instead of a heroic leader who can perform all
essential leadership functions, the functions are distributed among different members of the
team or organization. (Harris, Leithwood, Day, Sammons, & Hopkins, 2007, p. 339)
When exploring other industries that have embraced this perspective of leadership distribution, the
success OAE programming is evident in the business industry to develop leadership capacities of the
business team.
The previous implication already places teachers not as just educators, but into the category of
leaders. So building on their newly defined roles as leaders, the following will present the benefit of
OAE leadership development, and how this can support leadership capacity through more effective
distributed leadership. Much like corporate groups and other leadership intensive professions engaging
in OAE programming for leadership development, education organizations could benefit from the same
outcomes that other organizations achieve. In a study by Krass & Grandzol (2012), they analyze the
effectiveness of OAE leadership training, and how “some business educators have begun to emphasize
the development of personal, interpersonal, and group skills that underlie effective leadership” (p. 430).
The results are quite impressive, and point to the same successes that previously outlined Outward
Bound and NOLS programs provide for their participants. If teachers are engaged in these types of
programs not only for teaching technique improvement, but for development of leadership skills, then
distributed leadership in schools would reap the benefits in the same way. This will all lead to build a
core characteristic of high leadership capacity schools, presented by Lambert (2007), as “Principal and
teachers, as well as a significant number of parents & students, are becoming skillful leaders” (p. 312).
To compound the benefits of OAE practices for teacher development and curriculum enhancement,
future research might afford insight into the vicarious transferring of leadership capacity to the parents
and students of the institution as well.

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HPE Curriculum with OAE Principles in Practice
To support a rationale and clear vision to stakeholders for implementation of OPL as the ideal
outcome for HPE, and to shift to offering HOPE as their approach, the following will present an
example of how a similar initiative has been successfully implemented in another institution. By
outlining this program, I hope to illustrate the compounding beneficial outcomes of OAE in practice,
further building value for stakeholders to adopt this approach.
To begin, I will present an alternative public school physical education program which uses
outdoor adventure activities as the course offerings, with very positive results in terms of holistic
development of the students' physical and health practices. Schwab and Dustin (2014), examine a
program developed by Cavett Eaton (in Utah), who has been teaching his HPE class using outdoor
activities. His program came from his struggle of “how to foster enjoyment of outdoor activities in
youth, how to enhance youth's understanding and appreciation of risk, and how to provide
opportunities for youth to learn lifelong leisure activities” (p. 27). He calls his program Healthy
Lifestyles and Outdoor Exploration Skills, and facilitates outdoor activities in class time through
activities like indoor rock climbing, snowshoeing, hiking, slacklining, camping (training camps which
are set up in the school playground), and even bike maintenance. Schwab and Dustin (2014), state that
his philosophy is leading to other physical educators challenging their own practices, and opens the
discussion that “Moving beyond ball sports into lifelong leisure pursuits, venturing beyond the brick
and mortar of a school's physical plant into nature, and offering youth opportunities for exploration,
wonder, questioning, problem solving, decision making, and team building can do much more for the
whole child than sport skill instruction and physical conditioning alone” (p. 31). This program
illustrates the beneficial outcomes of incorporating OAE principles into the curriculum; benefits which
traditional HPE does not effect.
Implications for Practice

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When reflecting on the implications for practice, two common barriers or themes which
challenge OAE approaches reside in factors of risk and cost. The following will discuss these barriers,
and use research to support my position that the benefits of my HOPE initiative outweigh the often
misunderstood, and negatively perceived, outcomes of OAE programming.
In an age of helicopter parents, fears of liability, and a drive to provide safe and sterile
environments for our children, OAE comes up against friction in formal school environments. This
trickles over into the home life, as children are monitored and controlled through their free-play time as
well. I feel that this is doing a disservice to the development of children, as there is a stunting of the
intrinsic motivation to challenge themselves, solve problems, overcome adversity, and find meaning in
experiences, as any risk (physically or emotionally) is being discretely removed from all activities.
Research by Banack (2015), suggests that “Children have a natural propensity towards risky-play; and
keeping children safe involves letting them take and manage risk” (p. 46), and that when assessing risk
in OAE programming, “Literature from many disciplines supports the notion that safety efforts should
be balanced with opportunities for child development through outdoor risky-play” (p. 46).
Professionals in the OAE industry are attune to the importance and implementation of risk management
procedures, and the facilitation of OAE programming has become better at attending to the balance of
risk and safety. Highly trained and qualified leaders are entering the OE industry, and much like a
formal school environment, there is an implied trust that trained teachers at school will provide safety
for children that must be applied with outdoor educators as well. The challenging of OE facilitator's
ability to manage risk effectively is something that formal educational leaders are perpetuating through
a misunderstanding of the approach. Being provided with the initiative rationale, and the argument that
it is riskier to not engage in OAE programming than it is risky to engage in it, can potentially promote
formal education to shift it's misconceptions of the risk of OAE.
Another misunderstood element providing a barrier to the incorporation of outdoor recreation in

25. 25
formal schools is the resources and costs required for participation. When looking at the philosophical
underpinnings of OAE, there is no need for expensive expeditioning equipment, travel costs, training
courses; nor is there a requirement of a sixty day excursion, inclement weather and conditions, or
danger. The essence of OAE requires a shift in environment and approach alone to access the benefits
of meaningful experiences. “Curricular-wise, the local outside offers relevant, experiential, and
accessible learning opportunities. Research associated with health costs of sedentary activity revealed
that development of a healthy lifestyle, including being outside, reduces societal costs in later life.
Educational leaders need to quell cost related myths and promote local outdoor learning towards
healthy living” (Banack, 2015, p. 45). So when perceptions of OAE are pervaded by the thought that
this is only reserved for the uber-wealthy, I challenge anyone to travel to the closest local park, and see
what effect this has on their finances. My proposal for HOPE reflects this philosophy, as it is the
incorporation of the principles of OAE in whatever capacity is accessible, and not the suggestion of
every student reaching the summit of Everest.
If there is going to be any chance for implementation of the HOPE approach I have proposed,
these are the major barriers that it must overcome to be accepted as a valuable option. However, much
like students overcoming challenges in adventure programming, HOPE can only develop and grow
through surmounting these obstacles.
Opportunities for Future Research
When reflecting on my own perspectives of what the HOPE would look like in practice, it
brings to the forefront some questions and motivation for further inquiry. The following will discuss
some opportunities for future research related to locality of the school, and what effect this might have
on what is offered in terms of outdoor experience.
What I have not discussed, and would be prudent to research, is the relevance and meaning of
any particular activity, based on the location of the educational institution. It begs the question, would

26. 26
a walk to the local park for a student in an urban metropolis be as beneficial and affective to a student
living in a rural town? This brings into question the accessibility and opportunity for natural
environment engagement, and how to assess the outcomes of each experience to meet the needs of the
students for any given area. I am under the assumption here that students living in a rural environment
have a closer proximity to natural environments, so a walk to a local park is potentially not so inspiring,
as it would be for students in an urban environment. Further research into what experiences or
activities would be deemed appropriate to provide the outcomes I have described previously, based on
the local environment of the students, is required. Without implementation and observation of a
prototypical curriculum of HOPE being observed over different local contexts, then it is difficult to
know how to develop a standard program that can be implemented across all school environments and
cultures.
Conclusion
Through an analysis of the principles of OAE and physical literacy, I discussed the need for
connecting these together for an enriched outcome of HPE for students as OPL. Through the
connection of these approaches, I provided a sound rationale for stakeholders in education to see the
value in changing HPE curriculum to incorporate OPL as the learning outcome, and shifting towards
my model of HOPE. I have also proposed a clear vision of how this can be implemented as part of
teacher education and professional development, with a hidden benefit of improving leadership
capacity within the organizational culture of schools. By engaging teachers as the first step for shifting
organizational culture perspective towards OAE techniques, this will help provide the motivation for
stakeholders to also embrace the OAE approach. Through OPL as the ideal outcome for students in
HPE programming, I feel that this will help students develop healthy living positionalities more
relevant to realistic recreation practices in the future, with a better connection and responsibility for
social and environmental issues, thus providing a holistically educated student for active and healthy

27. 27
engagement through the lifespan. Rather than a narrow view of physical activity engagement accessed
through HPE as it is, but as a holistic approach through HOPE.

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