Indonesian Teachers Building BRIDGES with Australian Schools

Thirty teachers from junior and senior high schools in five provinces (Bali, East Java, South Sulawesi, West Nusa Tenggara and West Kalimantan) began their pre-departure training in Bali this week in advance of a three-week visit to Australia to build networks with Australian schools, teachers and students.

The teachers are participating in the new BRIDGE project – Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement – which aims to foster friendship and understanding between young people in Australia and Indonesia.

“I sincerely hope their visit to Australia will be enjoyable and rewarding and when they return to Indonesia, they return with greater understanding and strong bonds of friendship which will benefit schools in both our countries,” said Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Bill Farmer.

The group will visit Australia for three weeks from 9 – 27 March 2009 to build partnerships with Australian schools, improve their English language skills and receive training on incorporating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into their teaching.

The teachers will undertake a professional learning program with their Australian school partners, including a two-day cultural program on Australian society, history and contemporary issues and a three-day ICT professional learning program on the use of new technologies in the classroom, online collaborative projects and navigation of the BRIDGE Project website.

The highlight of their Australian visit will be the ten-day school and home stay program where they will teach at an Australian school and stay with an Australian teacher and their family.

A second group of teachers will visit Australia under this project in August. A total of 90 Indonesian teachers from forty schools will participate in the program and forge ongoing sister school relationships with Australian partners using the internet as a platform of ongoing communication and for Australian students to learn Indonesian.

The BRIDGE Project is initiated by the Australia-Indonesia Institute (AII), funded by The Myer Foundation and the Australian Government.

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