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This article discusses the importance of PE teacher embracement of AEAs, provides several specific practical examples for PE teachers looking to enhance AEA inclusion in their PE programs, and concludes with practical strategies to help overcome common PE teacher-cited barriers related to embracing AEAs.

Due to the overemphasis of traditional sports at the expense of other movement domains in physical education (PE) programmes, there is a need to consider what factors might enable or limit PE teachers' incorporation of some of these other domains that can support student learning. The focus of this article is on one such marginalized domain -- alternative environment activities (AEAs). AEAs can afford students a breadth of opportunities for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in different environments (i.e. land, snow and ice, water, air) and improve environmental awareness and stewardship. This article reports on a comparative investigation of Nova Scotian (Canadian) and Irish PE teachers' incorporation of AEAs in their PE programmes. To understand what similarities or differences might exist with respect to these PE teachers' incorporation of AEAs, along with existing enablers and barriers, a self-selected sample of current PE teachers (Nova Scotia = 53; Ireland = 64) completed a 22-item online questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were employed to conduct comparisons among the two data sets. PE teachers' understandings of curricular requirements for AEAs were found to be an issue in both Nova Scotia and Ireland. Reported significant differences include: AEA-related professional development participation; most important factors for deciding not to include AEAs; and feelings of school administrative support towards AEA incorporation. Findings also suggest that various issues may be hindering incorporation of AEAs in PE programmes, and that some of these issues do differ based on where the PE programme is situated.

The purpose of this study was to gather the thoughts and opinions of students and their teachers around the benefits of outdoor exploration time. Students within three grade 3 classes in one western Canadian province were afforded opportunities to connect with the outdoor elements and each other in designated forested areas near their school, while also enjoying free outdoor learning time. Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted for participants to share their experiences. Using a thematic approach, four key findings emerged from these interviews: expanding perspectives, connection to nature, sense of choice, and enjoyment. According to the findings, affording an outdoor space and the opportunity for students to spend time outside on a consistent basis may be an important way to give students the chance to learn in an organic way from nature, form deep connections to nature, develop within themselves a sense of choice, and find enjoyment in the natural environment.

Background and Purpose: Despite widespread evidence suggesting the numerous benefits from being active in outdoor environments, children in many Western nations have recently been spending less time outdoors. This cross-sectional exploratory study provides a descriptive examination of physical education teachers' embracement of alternative environment activities (AEAs) in physical education programs. Method: Data were collected from 225 current physical education teachers in Alberta and Manitoba, Canada, through an online survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, Levene's tests, and independent t tests. Results: Significant differences were found in relation to teachers' experiences, or lack thereof, with professional development in relation to the extent to which teachers embraced AEAs. Furthermore, cost was discovered to be the greatest perceived barrier to teaching AEAs. Discussion and Conclusions: This study reveals an established need for teachers' professional development in teaching AEAs and for discovering ways to decrease cost barriers for teaching AEAs.