Williams engages students in student-centered, open-ended, and authentic experiences. Our educators are grounded in a philosophy of teaching and learning that puts authenticity, inquiry and investigation, problem-finding, solution-building, and student interests at the forefront of what we do across the curriculum. The key components of our educational model set us apart from other independent, private, and public schools across Hampton Roads.
Our school capacity is set to ensure we are maximizing our physical space while maintaining a small school feeling where everyone knows every child and their family and every teacher is a mentor, guide, supporter, and champion for every learner. We are large enough to offer dynamic learning experiences but small enough to gather weekly to honor one another, affirm our common goals, and reinforce our commitment to Honor Before Honors.
Facts and topics in isolation do not form the foundation of knowledge so we use big ideas to organize information at The Williams School. Students study the disciplines in much the same way an expert in the field would appreciate information. This gives our students an authentic and meaningful understanding of what, why, and how.
We believe in actively engaged learners and using questions to drive teaching and learning which increases knowledge, skills, and depth of understanding in important ways. Our students are problem finding as well as problem solving. They ask, inquire, test theories, build solutions, and assess the effectiveness of their solutions in authentic ways.
Our learners vary in their interests, readiness levels across disciplines, and the ways in which they learn best. Teachers and specialists approach each child as a unique learner and see every interaction with a child/adolescent as a chance to challenge, engage, and support them. Our goal is to help each and every child realize their full potential and we do that by creating multiple paths to worthy goals.
Health and Wellness. Adventure. Global thinking. Sustainability. These are powerful reasons for the use of expeditionary learning in every grade level in our school. We believe that outdoor learning helps develop the full experience that all children deserve in a school program.
We have ungraded opportunities for our students in grades fifth through eighth to allow for creative production, service, peer tutoring, and enrichment. We provide STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and STEAM i.e., science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) enrichment for our students in grades K-5. Our resource teachers in mathematics, science, general studies, and resource work across the K-8 levels to ensure students have what they need when they need it. Purposeful integration of technology to support and enhance teaching and learning. Always enhancing, never replacing instruction, our use of technology is for inquiry, investigation, and production. Students are taught how to safely and efficiently use a variety of tools to help them use technology.
Our students are kind, respectful, talented, hard-working, empathetic, well-spoken, and they are leaders by design. Whenever children can be given the opportunity to lead, the faculty, staff, and administrators at Williams given them the opportunity, support, and feedback needed in order to lead. Through leadership and reflection come humility, self-efficacy, and communication skills.
We believe in actively engaged learners and using questions to drive teaching and learning which increases knowledge, skills, and depth of understanding in important ways. Our students are problem finding as well as problem solving. They ask, inquire, test theories, build solutions, and assess the effectiveness of their solutions in authentic ways.
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