The Earth is in the midst of a recent acceleration in the rate of species extinction and the unravelling of ecological communities. The authors think with the emerging field of Extinction Studies to explore educational approaches to ecological endangerment and extinction. Using a notion of visiting as 'curious practice', we story encounters…

Increasing attention is being paid to gender in outdoor education, with scholars and practitioners sharing experiences of sexism and heterosexism and explicitly calling for an examination of hegemonic masculinity in the field. The purpose of this paper is to respond to that call by: summarizing scholarship on hegemonic and alternative…

Outdoor education programs have been shown to enhance the development of positive psychology and wellbeing in students. However, there is a lack of research investigating the specific components within outdoor education programs that may enhance positive psychology and, in particular, positive masculinity. The aim of the current study was to…

"Beneficial Risks" is a unique offering in the field of outdoor and experiential education, drawing from theory, research, and lessons learned from the collective experience of leading authors and experts in the field of safety science and outdoor risk management. This book challenges long-standing assumptions and traditional views of…

Mathematical modelling emphasizes the connection between mathematics and reality -- still, tasks are often exclusively introduced inside the classroom. The paper examines the potential of different task settings for mathematical modelling with real objects: outdoors at the real object itself, with photographs and with a 3D model representation. It…

The recent criminal negligence case against an Ontario teacher in the death of a student identified pertinent outdoor education administration and policy issues. This comparative case study examined this case and two additional high profile Canadian outdoor education fatalities, identifying common factors and issues. Using Accimaps to illustrate…

Adventure therapy programs can promote beneficial experiences and attributes that cultivate positive youth development (PYD). This study explores the impact of an urban, outdoor adventure therapy program for underserved youth. Multiple versions of the Positive Youth Development Inventory were given to participants and a comparison group (N = 161)…

In the teaching of natural science, field trips are a means of bringing students directly into contact with the biological and geological aspects of the environment. The present study explored French students' views of fieldwork and the relationships they establish with the natural environment as a result. We analyzed the responses of 293 primary…

Background: Outward Bound (OB) provides experiential outdoor learning programs where students grow through overcoming challenges. Instructors leading these wilderness courses face numerous demands and situational conditions which may create stress. Purpose: This study sought to describe instructors' experience of stress on OB courses with…

What does it mean to grow up? Why is it important? How does one measure it, and what factors make it so difficult to realize? This paper explores how one's experience in an outdoor adventure education program may be observed, understood, and potentially maximized through the lens of Robert Kegan's constructive-developmental theory. This paper…

Alma College initiated an Altitude Physiology class in 1997 devoted to living and learning at high altitude (3440 m). The class incorporated several key elements of High-Impact Educational Practice including a strong student-research component and collaborative groups assignments. A retrospective survey was administered to alumni of the class to…

Nature field trips stand out as pedagogical experiences because of their benefits in science learning, even in early childhood education (ECE). However, previous studies have found that teachers often do not make use of their full educational potential. The present research offers a descriptive exploration of ECE prospective teachers' enactment of…

Half a century ago, all children played outside, many getting to know the ecosystems around them in detail, marveling at the awe and wonder of shooting stars, thick fog, the structure of snowflakes, watching bats emerge at dusk, and how spiders spin a web. Learning science, while covered in school, was much more meaningful through direct…

For over 50 years, the forest school approach to nature learning has gathered momentum in the UK and across parts of Europe including Scandinavia (Knight, 2016). In other contexts such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia, nature-based early childhood education and care settings, influenced by European forest school approaches, have begun to gain…

Outdoor learning has become an important part of policy and practice across several European contexts. While research indicates that outdoor experiences can enhance learning and mental health outcomes, studies have also identified a number of barriers to providing such experiences the most prevalent being that of teachers' confidence.…