Mrs. Williams Class 2011

About Me

    My name is Mrs. Williams.  This is my first year teaching at Imagine Academy of Cultural Arts.  I graduated from University of Missouri-St. Louis receiving my degree in Elementary Education.  As a first year teacher, I feel that I have learned just as much from my kids as they have from me. 

Instructional Strategies

        Direct Instruction
                I approach new concepts by direct instruction.  This allows me to model the thought process for students.  After teaching the class as a whole, I have them practice a few problems while I walk around checking for misconceptions or misunderstandings.  After my informal assessment, I then gage whether to meet with a few students in a small group or reteach the concept before they are given their individual assignments.

        Cooperative Groups
                Many times you will walk into my classroom to see students in groups or pairs working together.  I feel students can learn just as much from each other as they can from my instruction.  We also practice an activity called Think-Pair-Share.  During this activity-which is quick-students will put an answer down, roam around the room to find a partner, share their answer, then repeat.  When the students are brought back together, we talk about their answers compared to other students.  Then we find out how one student got the answer compared to another.

       Inquiry Based Learning
                How often does learning start with a question?  Every single time.  I use inquiry to guide many lessons.  I ask students to look through books and chapters.  When questions arise we write the questions down on post-it notes and stick them on our '?" board.  While we read we use our questions to guide us.  Many times more questions arise as we find answers.  This continues until we feel we are experts. 

Contact Information

[email protected]
314-561-3380