TREC's approach is based on Tandem language learning, where participants switch between learner and expert roles in each session. We aim to extend this idea to all subjects, creating a learning environment that emphasizes reciprocity over hierarchy, enabling more personalized, collaborative, and engaging learning than conventional educational systems.
The siloed nature of academia limits our ability to respond to complex, interconnected problems. At a time when urgent challenges demand immediate engagement, it makes little sense to delay meaningful research contributions behind years of formal gatekeeping. Inspired by how language fluency emerges through immersion—from simple speech to poetry—we seek to build a community that nurtures holistic thinkers capable of quickly expanding beyond their original disciplines.
TREC is designed as a connected network of local initiatives that unites students, educators, and researchers into a cooperative. Through community-driven research and experimentation, we aim to create shared tools and products that support long-term sustainability.
By building networks of local education and research communities, we aim to give these communities a shared identity and make visible who the local experts are and what kinds of problems they are working on. The network shown above illustrates a community of researchers and educators, who both contribute expertise and pursue learning across a range of topics.
In the diagram, green nodes represent people and blue nodes represent subject areas. Arrows from a person to a subject indicate expertise, meaning that the person can design activities or guidance to help others reach their learning goals. Arrows from a subject to a person indicate learning interests, reflecting topics the person wishes to explore and develop in. Yellow nodes represent project topics: arrows into a project indicate people who wish to participate, while arrows out indicate those leading the project.