Abstracts
Abstract
In this study, we enacted critical participatory action research (CPAR) within an online community of practice (CoP). The CoP was designed to build a community of outdoor play and learning (OPAL) practitioners. This paper describes how a cohort (n=18) of experienced Kindergarten to grade eight (K-8) teachers from across British Columbia shared their OPAL experiences and practice and the collective action taken. Regularly scheduled meetings over a six-month period resulted in dialogue that identified the need for quality resources that were accessible for all teachers. The concept of a website, developed for teachers by teachers experienced with OPAL, was initiated within the CPAR process. This article describes findings related to participation in a CPAR CoP, and the process of deciding upon and enacting shared action to support OPAL elementary school teachers.
Keywords:
- Action research,
- Community of practice,
- Outdoor play,
- Outdoor learning,
- Pedagogy,
- Professional development,
- Risky play
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Appendices
Biographical notes
Megan Zeni is a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. Her dissertation research included collaboration with practicing K-8 classroom teachers to capture how pedagogies of place and play are enacted through outdoor play and learning in elementary schools. Megan has over 25 years’ experience as a professional K-7 educator, is widely known for her expertise in school gardens and risky play at school, and is currently employed as an Early Learning & Curriculum Consultant within a Canadian public school district. To learn more about her work, visit https://meganzeni.com
Dr. Leyton Schnellert is an Associate Professor in the University of British Columbia’s Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy and Eleanor Rix Professor of Rural Teacher Education. His scholarship attends to how teachers and teaching and learners and learning can mindfully embrace student diversity and inclusive education. His community-based collaborative work contributes a counterargument to top-down approaches that operate from deficit models, instead drawing from communities’ funds of knowledge to build participatory, place-conscious, and culturally sustaining practices. Dr. Schnellert has been a middle and secondary school classroom teacher and a learning resource teacher K-12. To learn more about his work visit: https://leytonschnellert.com
Dr. Mariana Brussoni is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. She is an investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Mariana’s research investigates child injury prevention and children’s outdoor risky play, with a special focus on promoting equitable access to outdoor play. To learn more about her work, visit outsideplay.org