Social and Emotional Learning through Outdoor Adventure Education – Developing Curriculum Framework for Physical Education
Social and emotional skills provide a foundation for the growth, development, health, and well-being of children and young people. Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) has been found to have the potential to support the Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) of youth. In schools, physical education (PE) has a range of opportunities for delivering OAE. However, teachers need support to implement PE with a focus on OAE and SEL. The project ‘Outdoor Adventure Education through Physical Education’ (OutAdvEd, Erasmus+, 12/2022–5/2025) addresses the promotion of SEL within PE through OAE.
The international team develops tools for teachers
The project will include OAE tools for the PE curriculum design and implementation. The project will provide an open educational web resource consisting of practical resources and guidelines accessible to teachers and all interested parties. Furthermore, the aim is to respond to the growing demand for recognition of teachers’ knowledge and skills in the form of a pilot certification process.
The project brings together an international network of experts in PE and OAE. The project is implemented by the University of Luxembourg, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), Masaryk University (Czech Republic), the University of Seville (Spain), the European Physical Education Association (EUPEA), and us, Humak University of Applied Sciences. Humak’s representatives in the project are principal lecturer Anita Saaranen-Kauppinen and senior lecturer Jussi Muittari from our key competence area of Adventure and Outdoor Education.
Critical discussions and reflection in Helsinki
The kick-off meeting was held in January 2023 at Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. After getting to know each other and organizing the work, the project team worked both separately and jointly in online environments. At the end of September, it was time to meet again in person in Helsinki, Finland. The meeting was hosted by Humak.
In this meeting, we discussed and reflected on the work that had been carried out throughout the spring and summer of 2023. Project partners engaged in discussions around key theoretical concepts and models in OAE and SEL, as well as practical pedagogical PE curriculum templates consisting of modules and micromodules. The aim, objectives, and choices for the project were approached critically to ensure that everyone was on the same page in this complex and demanding, but rewarding and fruitful, project.
It was agreed that our current priority is to complete a theory- and research-based framework for OAE, SEL, and curriculum design. Once this framework is in place, our mission is to create concrete planning templates and practical examples of PE teaching modules and units using OAE and incorporating SEL. The final stage of the curriculum work is to develop online teaching resources to facilitate the implementation of SEL-oriented PE.
During the intense working days, the project team organized various quick outdoor activities and social games near the campus, in the interests of both recreation and education. Although it was only a three-day meeting, participants also managed some sightseeing in the center of Helsinki, not forgetting a delicious joint dinner!
Going forward
At the end of the meeting, we established an action plan for the rest of the year. The project team is currently finalizing the theoretical framework and practical curriculum guidelines and modules. The work will be completed by the end of this year. The upcoming material will enhance the skills and abilities of teachers and teacher educators to design OAE-PE programs with an emphasis on SEL. The material will provide teachers with an appropriate knowledge base, practical detailed examples, and later on, accessible online tools for planning and implementing PE.
As the project progresses, it is essential to develop a set of quality indicators for the implementation of OAE/SEL education. In addition to piloting the guidelines and modules and planning the open education resources, the development of the indicators will be one of the key objectives next year. In 2024, the project team will hold meetings in Spain (May) and Greece (September). The meeting in Seville, Spain, will also bring together students from our universities – student PE teachers, alumni, and doctoral students – to test and evaluate the work we have done so far.
Authors:
Anita Saaranen-Kauppinen, DSocSci, Principal lecturer, Humak University of Applied Sciences
Jussi Muittari, MSc (Sport and Health Sciences), Senior lecturer, Humak University of Applied Sciences
Publishing day: 27.12.2023
Publication Series: Humak’s Harticle
Publisher: Humak University of Applied Sciences
