A teacher's life history that analyzes the factors that facilitate and hinder her use of curriculum integration information with at-risk students

The purpose of this study was to examine the professional life history of a teacher who chose to use curriculum integration as a curriculum model with at-risk students. This study examined archival data that dated back to 1996 and included interviews, observations, and document analysis to examine how curriculum integration information has impacted a teacher's decision making and her work with students labeled "at-risk" over the past twelve years. This "seasoned" teacher and I co-created a SWAS (school-within-a-school) model for at-risk high school students in 1998 in a north Denver high school; we team taught integrated language arts and social studies interdisciplinary courses between 1996 and 1999; and have stayed in close contact over the past ten years to discuss her move to alternative education in Minnesota. The research questions focused on analyzing which factors facilitated or hindered her use of curriculum integration information in her work and what model of curriculum integration design this teacher developed to use with at-risk students over the years. This is of particular interest to me as I have mentored teachers in a professional development capacity about the use of curriculum integration and have espoused the importance of this curriculum design for at-risk youth both in professional development workshops and with my own students, but have little research that analyzes why teachers may chose this curriculum model and if they believe it effects student performance, student apathy, or student empowerment. Data collection analyzed the influence of educational philosophy, mentoring, teaming, experience with curriculum integration, pre-service experiences, how the teacher viewed herself as a content generalist, efficacy models, and finally transformative education. Implications of this research may impact pre-service teacher training and schools considering reform that includes curriculum integration. This research will further influence the researcher's approach to professional development, mentoring, and teaching about curriculum integration and its efficacy with students placed at-risk of school failure. Most importantly, this research describes why and how this professional made curricular decisions for herself and her at-risk students.