"We do it anyway": Professional identities of teachers who enact risky play as a framework for Education Outdoors" by Megan Zeni, Leyton Schnellert, and Mariana Brusson was just published in the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education this month. I love this research because it recognizes that outdoor learning isn't easy and that there are lots of barriers in our way. But - more importantly it also highlights that teachers are doing it anyway and advocates for why this is so important.
The Real Research

This study explores the shift towards outdoor learning in Canadian elementary schools, particularly impacted by the experience of the pandemic. Teachers have embraced a pedagogy of Education Outdoors- a more emergent curriculum familiar to early childhood practitioners- by moving curricular activities to more natural, outside spaces. The findings reveal three key points: (1) teachers incorporate more unstructured play in outdoor learning; (2) they emphasize the pedagogical value of risky play for children's wellness and motivation; and (3) with mentorship, teachers can develop skills to enhance opportunities for risky play, even without a personal history of outdoor play. The study deepens our understanding of the knowledge, attitudes, and professional identities of teachers embracing risky play in outdoor education and addresses unique challenges in this context.
Key Quotes
"Teachers who hold space for emergent learning in Education Outdoors create learning environments that are child originated and teacher framed (Kashin, 2007). This means a child’s discovery, such as the detection of slug eggs, can be scaffolded into curricular content by intentionally framing the discovery into inquiries of life cycles, food chains, habitats, and/ or biodiversity. When unstructured play is recognized as an important agent of wellness in childhood (Brussoni et al., 2012), and curricular learning is located outdoors, unstructured play is frequently the catalyst for emergent learning."
"When risky play is supported as a pedagogical approach, it can spark complex and relational engagement with learning that allows for curricular content and related competencies to emerge directly from children’s outdoor play."
"Teachers in this study were influenced by the funds of knowledge they brought to their work, and how those lived experiences aligned with, or disrupted, the identity they cultivated as they gained professional experience. For example, some participants aligned nostalgic childhood experiences of OPAL with their work, while others intentionally shifted pedagogical practices to improve the school experience for diverse learners."
💡When you share these direct quotes, use (Zeni et al., 2023) underneath and then reference the full citation (shared below) at the end of your post or presentation.
The Real Talk
The lead author, Megan Zeni, is a PhD candidate and Education faculty member at the University of British Columbia. You might know her better by her Instagram handle @roomtoplay where she shares her experiences in play and outdoor learning. As a public school teacher for over 25 years, and she says that she sees every day how transformative outdoor play and learning are for both children and their teachers and that feeds her passion for this research. I caught up with Megan about this work to get some more of her great ideas for breaking down this research.
One of the big findings from this research is about the amazing boost that really effective teacher mentoring can have on supporting children's access to high quality outdoor play and learning experiences. I asked Megan to share more about how to make this happen in our settings. "Teacher mentorship should be local," she said, highlighting that what works in one context won't necessarily translate to another and recommending that teacher mentors should be funded for every school. to support teachers who want modeling, co-teaching, and support in outdoor learning experiences.
Obviously, we're very far away from that ideal, but that isn't stopping educators from making outdoor learning happen and doing more with less. I asked Megan what surprised her most about her findings and she said it was the determination of teachers to teach outside even when easier alternatives were available, saying "I was really impressed by how teachers in this study just figured out ways to stick with it!" And this, for me, is what I love to see research coming out with- recognition of the dedication and resilience of teachers to do what is right for children.
Many of the barriers to play, and outdoor or risky play especially, can come from the pressure to meet specific academic standards- often tied to funding or licensing requirements. Megan's research work is committed to challenging that, "Play and learning can happily co-exist, teachers just need to learn how to capture the complexity of learning to comply with reporting orders." She shared a Canadian resource with me called Outside Play that has fantastic FREE early childhood professional development options for participating in and advocating for outdoor and risky play as well as resources for families.
Megan's number one action for us? Schedule time outside every day- even just a little bit! Starting small is okay. This research shows that asking for help from teachers you love and trust is a powerful way to transform your outdoor play experiences. I know we've got each other's backs!
You can find the full piece here, although it currently has limited access through institutions only. However, you can contact Megan directly to request access because you know we are not going to leave you high and dry!
References:
Zeni, M., Schnellert, L. & Brussoni, M. “We do it anyway”: Professional identities of teachers who enact risky play as a framework for Education Outdoors. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-023-00140-6
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