Today, May 8, the Asia Education Foundation, welcomed the first cohort of 32 teachers from across Indonesia, to Australia as part of the 2017 Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnership Program. The goal of this immersive and blended model of professional learning is to support schools to build an international partnership across the region led by teachers’ who have a sound knowledge of the skills and attitudes required to prepare our young people for the world.
The Australia–Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program connects Australian teachers, students and school communities with their counterparts in Indonesia. BRIDGE is a whole school professional learning program that builds teachers’ and students Asia capability through school partnerships to develop intercultural understanding, improve Indonesian language skills, enhance technology skills, and establish sustainable school partnerships and a community of learners.
Executive Director of Asia Education Foundation at The University of Melbourne, Tim Mayfield said of the program:‘This regionally acclaimed initiative is a fantastic opportunity for schools across Australia to build stronger people-to-people links with their counterparts in Indonesia – there is so much we can learn from each other.’
As part of the 12-month program, the Asia Education Foundation will host the Indonesian teachers for a series of professional learning sessions at The University of Melbourne for a period of one week to strengthen their skills and knowledge in key areas to improve education outcomes. These sessions will address the focus areas of global competencies, digital capability and intercultural understanding.
The program will also include a school and homestay visit, where the Indonesian teachers will stay with their partner schools across Australia. Here the Indonesian teachers will have the opportunity to be fully immersed in the Australian culture and observe local education practice first-hand at their partner school. The homestay experience will also support the Australian teachers to share teaching practice with their counterpart and enhance the teaching of Indonesian language and culture in their own classroom. In the coming months, Australian teachers will also be given the opportunity to take part in a reciprocal visit to stay with their Indonesian partner school.
Two cohorts of Indonesian teachers, Primary and Secondary, will visit Australia for the program between May and August 2017.
For a full list of BRIDGE schools, please visit https://asiaeducation.edu.au/BRIDGE
The Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE Schools Partnership Program has been running for nine years with the support of the Australia-Indonesia Institute and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
About Asia Education Foundation
Asia Education Foundation (AEF) is Australia’s premier organisation supporting schools to educate a new generation of globally competent and Asia-capable young Australians. AEF is focused on ensuring that all Australian students develop a deep understanding of Australia and our place in the world, intercultural understanding and language skills to communicate and collaborate with the peoples of Asia and the world. AEF is a national not-for-profit initiative of Asialink at The University of Melbourne.
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