For Ciara James, understanding the "why" behind whatever she does is the foundation on which her success is built.
The founder and CEO of Limitless Learning TT, a virtual educational facility for students who struggle with math believes that once someone has a true understanding of what they are doing, it will be near impossible for them to fail an exam.
“We are a testing society – focused on rote learning and we don’t really explain to students why we are doing what we are doing,” James told WMN.
She said it was not until she was a university student that she was able to grasp the relationship between knowledge and understanding, and the difference the combination could make in learning.
“The funny thing is that I’m the daughter of two educators. I love math and was always good at teaching, since my days as a student at St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando. But what really made me get into the teaching was when I got to Morgan State University in Maryland, and what I did for A-Levels finally made sense. I only understood the ‘why’ then.”
James said she wished she had had that experience while at primary and secondary school, and she wanted to bring it back to students at home.
“The focus is on the knowledge and understanding, and everything else will follow. Once you have that in place, the results will be unimaginable.”
A meticulous James holds a first degree in math with a concentration in statistics. Her master’s is in applied financial math from the University of Connecticut.
“The plan was to get into investments, finance and banking, which I did for a while, but that didn’t work out…But because I am always well organised, I always have a backup plan, even for a backup plan…I hope for the best but I’m always prepared for the worst.”
The 36-year-old is originally from San Fernando, and conducts her classes from her home in Santa Rosa, Arima via the Zoom platform.
“It’s interactive, and we were online even before the covid19 pandemic forced everyone to operate virtually.”
She said following an assessment, her sessions are personalised for each student.
[caption id="attachment_985418" align="alignnone" width="819"] Ciara James fully understood what she learnt in school when she went to university in the US. -[/caption]
“I am focused on the students themselves. I try to figure out what their personality is, what level they are at, if there are foundational areas that need to be addressed, the best pace for them, their learning style, and based on all this we craft lessons for them.”
Limitless Learning TT was launched in May 2015, and James and her two part-time tutors have since been conducting classes with local, regional and international students.
“I always tell parents and prospective students that our focus first is on knowledge and understanding, so if they are looking for a quick fix to get good grades in a test, then this facility is not for them.”
But, she said, because testing is not the
