Authentic Teaching and Learning

Integrative Learning Partners was founded to improve educational outcomes in places where traditional educational systems often fall short — rural and Indigenous communities. In these places, students often grow up with strong local knowledge, shared responsibilities, and deep ties to land and family. But when classroom content is disconnected from that reality, it can feel irrelevant — like school is something separate from life, rather than something that supports it.

Our approach is not a one-size-fits-all method. It requires working alongside schools and organizations to support what makes sense — helping educators build classrooms that reflect and respect the community, while still meeting the requirements of the state and local school districts. What began in rural Alaska now informs work that can support similar efforts across the Western U.S., where schools face many of the same challenges: limited resources, cultural mismatch, and a disconnect between traditional curriculum and the lived experience of students.

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Meet Geoff Bechtol

Geoff Bechtol, founder of Integrative Learning Partners, standing outdoors in a natural rural setting.

Geoff Bechtol began living and teaching in rural Alaska in 2002. For nineteen years, he lived and taught in the village as a secondary generalist. He began like many others—by administering a Western educational model of disconnected subject matter that left many of his students disengaged. With the support of many, and through constant evaluation of his own efficacy, Geoff developed learning systems and curriculum that helped his students to become critically-thinking and engaged learners. He built Integrative Learning Partners to share this system with schools and organizations looking to best serve their rural and indigenous students.

Recognized by Alaska’s Board of Game

The official Seal of the State of Alaska representing rural education context.In 2019, Geoff Bechtol’s class presented their subsistence bear research to the Alaska Board of Game. Students shared their knowledge in science, culture, and public speaking — and received the Board’s first-ever standing ovation. Their work helped inform statewide wildlife policy decisions.
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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the following entities for their support in the evolution of our work:

  • Alaska Department of Fish and Game
  • Arctic Slope Native Association
  • Alutiiq Tribe of Old Harbor
  • Koniag Educational Foundation
  • Old Harbor Native Corporation
  • Touchstones Discussion Group
  • University of Alaska Anchorage
  • University of Washington
  • WhiteSpace 3D