Running head: LITERATURE REVIEW – DOMAIN D 1

Carly E. Wudel

Literature Review – Domain D

TED 690: Capstone Course

March 24, 2018

National University

Dr. Carol M. Sheperd

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Abstract

This paper contains a review of Planning Effective Outdoor Lessons for Physical Education by

Eric Moore, Christine Johnson, and Michelle Thornton. These authors were graduate students in

the Kinesiology Department at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY at the time of

publication. Planning effective lessons in an outdoor setting is incredibly important for Physical

Education teachers. This article provides specific strategies for teaching physical education

outside. Safety and classroom management are both highlighted as essential components to any

successful lesson. A personal reflection of my thoughts toward the information presented in the

article is also included in this paper.

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Literature Review – Domain D

The reason I chose to review this article is because it fit into Domain D (planning

instruction) for my professional development quest plan. A professional development plan

should be focused “on continued professional growth related to…individual career objectives”

(Costantino, De Lorenzo & Tirrell-Corbin, 2009, p. 18). Throughout my career, I want to ensure

that I am able to plan effective lessons, especially in an outdoor setting. While I am teaching in

elementary schools, I will most likely not have an indoor space, such as a gymnasium, that I can

count on to be able to use for lessons; therefore, I need to be able to plan effective lessons even

with the ever-changing outdoor environment. Planning effective lessons to be implemented in an

outdoor setting is imperative for success as a Physical Education teacher. Moore, Johnson, and

Thornton (2013) suggest that safety and classroom management are both essential components of

any lesson in a physical education class.

Safety is the first component listed as “essential” for creating an effective learning

environment (Moore et al., 2013, p. 11). Weather is an obvious concern when planning lessons in

an outdoor setting. Moore et al. (2013) suggest “monitoring the radar before and during the

school day will provide valuable information” (p. 11). By having an idea of the weather forecast

for the day, teachers can prepare to make modifications in the middle of the day in the event that

inclement weather should arise (Moore et al., 2013, p. 11). At a school that does not have an

indoor facility specifically for the P.E. program, it is especially important for teachers to be

creative and know how to adapt their lessons to be indoor or outdoor (or have a different lesson

planned for implementing indoors).

Another safety concern that Moore et al. (2013) present is the condition of the playing

surfaces. Rain, dew, and mud are all out of our control, but they can all be problematic for
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Physical Education teachers because of their effect on potential outdoor playing surfaces. On the

other end of the weather spectrum is hot, sunny weather that could cause sunburns, heat stroke,

heat-related illness, and dehydration (Moore et al., 2013, p. 11). It is important for teachers to

encourage students to bring water bottles or allow them to have access to water fountains

frequently throughout the class period (Moore et al., 2013, p. 11). Student safety is incredibly

important; however, it is also important for teachers to remember to stay hydrated and take

precautions from the weather because they are the ones who are teaching outdoors all day, while

the students are only outdoors for one period a day (Moore et al., 2013, p. 11).

Classroom management is critical to the success of any teacher in any subject, but it is of

special importance when teaching in an outdoor setting that does not have four walls for class

boundaries or for a controlled noise level from outside distractions. Moore et al. (2013) suggest

that “some procedures, such as class entrance/exit, methods of communication, boundaries, and

expectations and policies may need to be changed” (p. 11). When classes are conducted indoors,

teachers usually have more resources to save their voices from yelling, like sound systems and

white boards; however, teachers may not have those same resources available to them so they

should rely on tools such as whistles or megaphones (Moore et al., 2013, p. 12). Moore et al.

(2013) also state that teachers should mark class boundaries and have an established protocol for

gathering students such as when “the teacher stops the class and raises his or her hand, the class

is to hustle to the teacher for instruction” (p. 12).

All in all, I thought this article was interesting, but not because I thought the information

was groundbreaking or presented as novel ideas. In actuality, I thought the information presented

didn’t really connect to my job as a P.E. teacher at an elementary school in Northern California.

The authors were graduate students at the University of Kentucky and the weather in Kentucky is
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much different from California, so I understand that there will be some differences in the time

frame for the best climate for outdoor lessons; however, I couldn’t really identify with a lot of

the ideas that were presented in the article. It seemed as though the authors thought P.E. classes

were taught inside a majority of the time and the outdoor lessons were something that took extra

planning and focus. In my current teaching situation, it is the other way around because my

elementary school doesn’t have a gymnasium or indoor space that the P.E. program can use on a

regular basis. Almost all of my lesson plans are designed for outdoor instruction. Moore et al.

(2013) suggested that teaching students how to throw a ball would be “ill suited for the outdoor

classroom” because students would waste their time chasing after overthrown balls, but if they

were inside, they would have a wall to stop the ball and ultimately increase their practice time (p.

12). I understand their logic in a sense; however, I think an outdoor open space would be a better

fit for teaching students how to throw a ball. As I reviewed this article, I found myself

disagreeing or wondering why the authors thought the way they did. I would not recommend this

article to my colleagues in California because I do not believe that this article would be

beneficial to their professional development.

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References

Costantino, P., Lorenzo, M., & Tirrel-Corbin. C. (2009). Developing a Professional Teaching

Portfolio: A Guide for Success, 3rd Edition, Pearson Publishing.

Moore, E., Johnson, C., & Thornton, M. (2013). Planning Effective Outdoor Lessons for

Physical Education. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 84(5), 11-13.