Since 2019, the George Washington University’s East Asia National Resource Center (NRC) has organized dozens of virtual and in-person guest lectures to provide K-12 learners and educators with greater access to expertise in Asian Studies. The NRC has collaborated extensively with Fairfax County Public Schools, Montgomery County Public Schools, and school districts in New York, Maine, and Arizona to deliver guest lectures on topics ranging from North Korean film and literature to Tibetan language and religion.
A common need identified by our K-12 education stakeholders is more opportunities for immersive curricular experiences that highlight complex issues in contemporary world affairs. Stakeholders also identified a dearth of easily accessible Taiwan-focused curricular resources.
Building on this collective programmatic experience, GW’s Taiwan Education and Research Program (TERP) will enable two guest speakers to deliver lectures to K-12 classrooms that focus on Taiwan-related topics each year. This initiative will allow guest speakers to present at teacher training workshops, or for a guest speaker to present at student activities such as the Taiwan Strait crisis simulation. TERP will collaborate with the NRC to identify guest lecture opportunities and recruit Taiwan Studies experts.
