Programs

BRIDGE vignettes

Allendale Primary School and Bluff Point Primary School (cluster), WA

Partner school:

SDN Bantul Mannunggal

Partner teachers use Skype and email to connect students for activities such as: getting to know you, a day in my life, my local environment. A strong focus of this partnership has been sharing hard copy resources. Five teachers from Bluff Point and Allendale Primary schools visited their Indonesian partner school in September 2012. Since then, a number of Australian students have visited with their families during holidays. These visits have provided an opportunity to share educational materials with SDN Bantul Mannunggal. Allendale and Bluff Point are seeking opportunities for further visits.

Bendigo Senior Secondary College, VIC

Partner school:

SMAN 2 Makassar, South Sulawesi

To date, two visits to Indonesia by students have occurred. Others are planned to occur biennially. Teachers at SMAN 2 Makassar have reported increased confidence in communicating in English among their own students as a result of these visits from Bendigo.

Bendigo South East College, VIC

Partner school:

SMA Islam Athirah, South Sulawesi

Students have used the Wikispace for sharing resources and learning activities. Resources have included information about Australia and Indonesia and the focal areas for the activities have been Australian and Indonesian traditional foods, Aboriginal Life and Native Animals. Students have also had direct contact via Ning to chat and practice their language skills. Two Australian teachers have visited SMA Islam Athirah. One outcome of this visit was the generation of additional ideas and planning for class collaboration.

Bertram Primary School, WA

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SDPN Pajagalan 58, West Java

Year levels:

F – 6

Key learning areas:

Geography, Languages, Mathematics

“The partner teacher stay in Australia was great! The kids learnt a lot from their time in the school” – Rebecca Brennan

This school partnership has utilized video conferencing and production as it main collaboration tool. This was initiated after a visit by Australian teachers to Indonesia in mid-2014. Collaborative activities between students have focused on language and environmental studies:

• Sharing videos of local environmental issues and identifying commonalities.
• Videoconferencing between students to discuss local environmental issues.
• Producing videos for peers on ‘a day in the life of a student’.
• Exchanging pen-pal letters via email in English and Indonesian.

Beveridge Primary School, VIC

Partner school:

MIN Langon

BRIDGE has reportedly had a positive impact on both school communities. Year 6 ‘BRIDGE Ambassadors’ at Beveridge have led student group discussions around issues such as intercultural and interfaith engagement. Videos have been produced by the school featuring these Ambassadors discussing the BRIDGE partnership and why intercultural understanding is important. These videos have been used to facilitate discussion among students from Years 3 and 4. The Australian teachers report that BRIDGE had dramatically altered the worldview and intercultural understanding of students in both regional communities.

Two teachers and the principal from Beveridge have separately visited MIN Langon. Collaboration between the schools has involved post, some online exchange and sharing of videos.

Braemar College, VIC

Sector:

Catholic

School level:

Secondary

Partner school:

SMPN Satu Atap 1 Lohbener, West Java

Year levels:

9

Key learning areas:

Civics and Citizenship, Languages

“Many of our assignments and activities were sent (electronically and via post) to our sister school so they were our real life audience for our class work.” – Rebecca Gregory

Indonesian students at Braemar College will not be in trouble the next time they are caught on Youtube during class. Actually, they may even get an A for it! Youtube has become a language-learning platform of mammoth proportions for Braemar College students and their partner school SMPN Satu Atap 1. Students are producing short videos in Indonesian talking about their daily lives. Indonesian students respond with their own videos, speaking in both English and Indonesian. “This was good listening practise for my students and they got to see the inside of an Indonesian classroom,” said teacher Rebecca Gregory.

Teachers have facilitated a range of activities between classes to build language-learning resources and strengthen intercultural understanding. Australian teachers visited Indonesia in July 2014 to strengthen collaboration and as a result Youtube and other video conferencing/production and image sharing has been a key focus of classroom activities.

Students have been creating interactive images using ThingLink to describe what is in student lunchboxes. The aim was to compare different foods eaten and explore cultural significance. And when they are not on Thinglink they are interviewing peers at each other’s school to identify common after school activities over email.

Bribie Island State High School, QLD

Partner school:

Madrasah Aliyah Negeri (MAN) 2, West Nusa Tenggara

Regular student visits to MAN 2 and digital penpal activities have supported the Indonesian language program at Bribie Island. Both school communities have engaged with the project and teachers and leadership are supporting increased collaboration across learning areas. Years 9, 11 and 12 students from Bribie Island have written and sent postcards to MAN 2 as part of a ‘teenager’ unit included in the Indonesian language class. In September 2013, 18 students, four teachers and two parents visited Bali and Lombok for 10 days – spending a few days at MAN 2. Teachers report that student enrolments in Indonesian language at Bribie Island have increased by close to 50% and other teachers have expressed an interest in learning the language. The schools are currently in talks around establishing a scholarship program and teacher-monitored Facebook group.

Browns Plains State High School, QLD

Partner school:

SMAN 1 Salatiga, Central Java

In mid-2013, Browns Plains hosted a delegation from the Central Java Governor's office as part of their BRIDGE partnership. This visit prompted a student and teacher visit to SMAN 1 Salatiga in September 2013 and January 2015 (with plans to make this biannual). BRIDGE has raised the profile of Indonesian language study at Brown Plains with the teacher claiming that it has helped rescue a floundering program and resulted in school leadership offering Indonesian classes at senior levels. In addition to supporting the Indonesian language program the schools are establishing a plan for collaboration in English and science.

Bruny Island District School, TAS

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SDN Karangpawulang, West Java

Year levels:

F – 6

Key learning areas:

Geography, Languages, Science

Students from this school partnership have been collaborating across a range of learning areas. Teachers have reported a positive impact in the language, history, geography and environmental studies classes. Videoconferencing has been a major contributor, with teachers indicating positive outcomes on student learning and higher levels of engagement. Some of these activities include:

• Exchanging hand-written postcards by students to build language capacity.
• Sharing multimedia presentations about each school’s garden to build understanding of seasons and plant life.
• Creating a bilingual Australian animal storybook to strengthen awareness of Australian fauna and environment in Indonesia.
• Writing and sharing of bilingual letters by grade 6 students (scanned and exchanged via email).
• Connecting grade 4 and 5 History and Geography classes via videoconferencing to share local perspectives.

The Bruny Island teachers visited Indonesia in July 2014. The visits are laying the foundations for long-term collaboration and the sharing of pedagogical practice.

Camperdown College, VIC

Partner school:

SMPN 2 Leuwisadeng, West Java

A strong focus of this partnership has been building teacher capacity at SMPN 2 Leuwisadeng. Staff at Camperdown College have mentored Indonesian partner teachers at SMPN 2 Leuwisadeng to deliver professional learning to colleagues aimed at building ICT skills and English language proficiency. In addition, a range of activities have been implemented as part of this school partnership:

• Building ICT capacity of students through the use of computers in classroom learning.
• Establishing an extra-curricular English language club.
• Exchanging student art work.
• Learning about art and musical instruments via videoconferencing.
• Teaching about the use of a bullroarer (traditional indigenous instrument) by Campberdown teachers to year 8 Indonesian students via videoconferencing.
• Developing a recipe book of Australian and Indonesian cuisine.

Campsie Public, NSW

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SDN Ungarang 1, Yogyakarta

Year levels:

F – 4

Key learning areas:

Arts, Languages

Australian and Indonesian teachers at Campsie Primary School and SDN Ungarang 1 have been going from strength to strength in their cross-cultural ties. The two schools have drawn very effectively on ICT in their teaching and learning programmes. This has led to an increase in student interest in language learning through the use of ICT in class-to-class collaboration. The focus on engaging students in grades 1 to 4 includes:

• Creating virtual school tours using avatars by grade 1 Australian and grade 2 Indonesian students. The avatars were then exchanged and students built virtual tours of their respective local areas to share with Australian and Indonesian peers.
• Producing a bilingual video news report by each school to share with their partners. This included five great facts about the their school, a principal's message, footage of activities and events, weather report, and an introduction of the production students.
• Exchanging pen-pal letters between Grade 3 and 4 students to support language capacity (Australian children wrote in Indonesian and Indonesian students in English).

Australian teachers visited Indonesia in September 2014 and indicated that this provided key insights into Indonesian education and opportunities for future planning (e.g. curriculum considerations and teacher capacity).

Carraragarmungee Primary School, VIC

Partner school:

SD Cor Jesu Malang, East Java

(SD Cor Jesu is the primary section of an F-12 school that has two partners in Australia.) The ability to bring Indonesia into the classroom and forge friendships through Skype has transformed Indonesian language learning at Carraragarmungee. Levels of engagement have further developed since visits were made by the Victorian teacher to their Indonesian partner school in 2013 and 2015. The Indonesian language program has expanded since Carraragarmungee’s involvement in BRIDGE and is now taught across two classes. The teacher at Carraragarmungee Primary reports improved student engagement and language proficiency. Partnership activities centre on regular videoconference sessions between Indonesian (at Carraragarmungee) and English (at SD Cor Jesu) classes where students speak in their respective target language. The partner schools work on similar themes for language lessons and during videoconference sessions students present these.

Cathedral College, VIC

Partner school:

SMA Al Hikmah Surabaya, East Java

This school partnership focuses on intercultural and interfaith engagement, underpinned by reciprocal student visits. These visits to date include:

• Three staff and student visits from Cathedral College to SMA Al Hikmah in 2010, 2011 and 2013
• Three visits from SMA Al Hikmah staff and students to Cathedral College in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

Strong bonds have formed between the school communities as a result of these visits. ICT tools such as Wikispaces, Skype, Twitter and iPad apps are used extensively in Indonesian and English classes at the schools. Students regularly communicate online in the lead-up to in-country visits to get to know each other and exchange ideas and knowledge of each others’ beliefs and culture. It is common that personal correspondence continues between students as a result of the friendships developed through these visits.

Central Coast Grammar, NSW

Partner school:

SMPN 4 Marga, Bali

This partnership is still strong after five years. Years 3 and 4 and 7-10 students from Central Coast Grammar and all Years at SMPN 4 Marga support language learning through the exchange of letters, drawings and photographs, sharing information about favourite hobbies, sports, food and pets. In 2009 and 2010, Australian teachers visited SMPN 4 Marga to widen the span of their relationships at the school.

Chirnside Park Primary School, VIC

Partner school:

SDK Don Bosko 2, East Nusa Tenggara

Teachers communicate regularly via social media and students have been engaging via email and post to share information about their local area and sites of significance as part of their Indonesian class. The schools showcased student videoconference activity for the Australia-Indonesia Institute Board during their 2014 annual board meeting at SDK Don Bosko 2 in Kupang. The event resulted in new opportunities for synchronous communication between the schools enabled by a new and much improved Internet connection at SDNK Don Bosko 2.

Corpus Christi Catholic School, TAS

Partner school:

SDN1 Percontohan Ampenan, West Nusa Tenggara

While Corpus Christi Catholic School does not offer any languages other than English, a number of staff have begun to learn Indonesian since participation in BRIDGE began, and several classroom teachers are trialling the use of Indonesian in their teaching practices to broaden the scope of the language and engagement with their partner school. Implementation of Indonesian as a learning area is now being considered. The teachers at SDN 1 Percontohan Ampenan offer tutelage to their Tasmanian partner teachers wanting to learn Indonesian.

Teachers at both schools are in regular contact and students collaborate through multimedia activities such as digital storytelling, online scavenger hunts, penpal activities and videoconferencing.

In 2014 teachers from Corpus Christi and other Catholic schools in their network attended a Cultural Tour of Indonesia and visited their partner school.

Darwin Middle School, NT

Partner school:

MAN 1 Malang, East Java

Teachers from Darwin visited their Indonesian partner school in early 2013, participating in classroom activities and building relationships with teachers and school leadership. NT and Indonesian teachers and students have been communicating through videoconferencing, digital storytelling and the partnership Wikispace.

Eastern Fleurieu School, SA

Partner school:

SMAN 2 Sekayu, South Sumatra

Close personal and professional relationships between the South Australian and Indonesian teachers have led to a strong partnership. Teachers are in contact on a regular basis and report that they have learnt a great deal about each other’s culture as a result of their friendship. Two visits made by teachers from Eastern Fleurieu School to SMAN 2 Sekayu provided an opportunity to collaborate on curriculum planning. A comparative religion learning activity was led by Eastern Fleurieu staff looking at Islam, Christian and traditional Aboriginal Dreaming spirituality. This engaged students in robust conversations around the similarities of belief systems that they at first thought were very different. The schools also implemented a unit of work in science about natural and human impact on river systems using local rivers for the study.

Geraldton Grammar School, WA

Partner school:

SDN Menanggal 601 Surabaya

Students at Geraldton Grammar have used tools such as iMovie, MovieMaker, Voki and QR Codes to create digital content that supports language learning and to collaborate with peers in Indonesia. In Years 4 and 5, Australian students have been supporting Indonesian student English learning via Skype and there have been written exchanges on culture. Over the last three years, a number of reciprocal visits have been made by teachers and students at both schools. Since the student exchange program was introduced more Geraldton Grammar students have continued with Indonesian at senior levels, with strong enrolments at years 11 and 12 Indonesian in 2014.

Geraldton Primary School, WA

Partner school:

SDN Mangkura 3, South Sulawesi

Students share video clips of classroom learning via their partnership Wikispace and have made greeting cards for their peers. Strong leadership support at both schools has enabled the BRIDGE teachers to spend significant time and resources on the partnership. A visit was made by teachers from Geraldton Primary School to their Indonesian partners, SDN Mangkura 3, in 2013. A number of key SDN Mangkura 3 staff and students undertook an intensive English short course, supported by the school, in preparation to better meet the needs of visiting Australian partner teachers.

Glenunga International High School, SA

Partner school:

SMK Immanuel Pontianak, West Kalimantan

Students at Glenunga have participated in a range of ICT learning activities related to their BRIDGE partnership, such as videoconferences on interactive whiteboard, vodcasts and the use of Moodle and Daymap for communication. Two Australian teachers visited SMK Immanuel Pontianak in 2012. More recently students have been using Facebook to communicate and practice language as well as to explore common environmental issues in their geography class. Teachers at both schools maintain regular contact and are keen to broaden engagement to include more student collaboration on environment and culture.

Goroke P-12 College, VIC

Partner school:

SMPN 5 Janapria, West Nusa Tenggara

This school partnership has enriched the cultural knowledge and experience of staff, students, families and wider school community in the isolated town of Goroke. Teachers have mitigated internet connection issues with a range of non-synchronous learning activities. Students engage through penpal letter activities and have shared 'My Place' PowerPoint projects which have been posted online using Edmodo and an F-2 LOTE class has shared a 'Teddy Bear Project' with their Indonesian peers.

Greenway Park Public School, NSW

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SDN Sukarasa 3,4, West Java

Year levels:

F, 2, 5, 6

Key learning areas:

Languages and Writing

Students at both schools have been very enthusiastic to learn about Australia and Indonesia following reciprocal visits of teachers in May and September 2014. The focus of student engagement has been around building language capacity and cultural knowledge. A range of collaborative activities have been undertaken with kindergarten and grades 2, 3 and 6 students.

Classes have focused on learning of Indonesian songs and dance for kindergarten, grade 2 and 6 from their Indonesian peers. These have evolved into bilingual books for peers in Indonesia through the use of translation apps. This has developed students writing skills. Exchanging letters with Indonesian students has been a great opportunity to use Indonesian language proficiency, and understand more about everyday life in Indonesia.

One of the activities used to build language proficiency was learning numbers in English and Indonesian by sharing information about age with partner students. The sharing hasn’t stopped at age, students from both schools have presented aspects of Indonesian and Australian culture via PowerPoint presentations.

Guildford Grammar, WA

Partner school:

SMA Katolik Kolese Santo Yusuf (Kosayu), East Java

Australian teachers report an expanded knowledge of more diverse resources for teaching students about contemporary Indonesia and Islam as a major outcome of their involvement in BRIDGE. However the majority of collaboration between the schools centres on preparations for and debrief after student and teacher visits. To date, four student and teacher visits have occurred – two from Guildford to SMAK Kosayu and two from SMAK Kosayu to Guildford. These are planned for the future as biennial activities. Teachers at both schools have report increased confidence in second language use.

Hawker College, ACT

Partner school:

SMA Katolik St Petrus Pontianak, West Kalimantan

After a long period of inactivity due to staff changes at Hawker College, this partnership was successfully renewed by the interest of a new principal at Hawker College and through the involvement of one of the school’s mathematics teachers. The ACT partner teacher participated in a study program and reciprocal visit to SMAK St Petrus in 2012 taking part in a regional BRIDGE professional learning workshop in Indonesia.

As a result of this visit plans were made for collaborative activities resulting in weekly videoconferences and Twitter sessions. Among the activities:

• a videoconference on the environment for Years 10 and 11 resulted in the design and completion of a local research activity
• working together via videoconference and Twitter, students from Year 11 solved the same set of algebra problems
• both schools observed the ‘Walk and Cycle to School’ and ‘Earth Hour’, discussing and reporting their activities to each other.

Leadership at Hawker College has prioritised the school’s involvement in BRIDGE. In 2014, Hawker established a school partnership with Thailand and all three schools are now collaborating via videoconferencing on mathematics.

Heathmont College, VIC

Partner school:

SMPN1 Karangmojo, Yogyakarta

Regular videoconference sessions between lead teachers support curriculum planning for student learning across learning areas. In Indonesian and English language classes, Heathmont and Karangmojo students are partnered into project groups to work collaboratively on Edmodo on activities such as a Year 7 Scavenger Hunt and Year 10 assignments on Self. In mathematics students have used ratio and population density to analyse similarities and differences between Indonesia, Australia and other countries. Heathmont College has expanded its Indonesian and studies of Asia program as a result of the BRIDGE partnership, including the implementation of an Asian Intercultural Day facilitated by college students and staff for five feeder primary schools. Leadership at both partner schools are strong supporters of the partnership and have signed a memorandum of understanding that supports ongoing collaboration across learning areas.

Illawarra Sports High School, NSW

Partner school:

MTs SA Al-Islam Jasaren, Central Java

The Illawarra teacher has reported that the Indonesian language skills of students have improved significantly as a result of their BRIDGE partnership. Both schools have created a number of resources for their partnership on the Wikispace such as images for unpacking culture, widgets that allow chat, links to external resources, digital stories on videos and so on. Students have been using Edmodo to collaborate and have regular opportunities to engage in conversations that support language acquisition from peers. Influenced by the partnership, Illawarra has introduced an Asia focus in their Year 7 Enrichment classes and Culture Shock Electives. Communication between the schools is growing, with the introduction of Google Hangouts and a fortnightly e-zine shared on their Wikispace. A new BRIDGE noticeboard has been placed in a high traffic area at Illawarra and raised interest in the partnership with MTs SA Al-Islam Jasaren.

John Wilcock College, WA

Partner school:

SMAN 1 Tabanan

Staff and students communicate through Skype and Yahoo chat sessions as well as exchanging ‘Flat Travellers’ and school postcards. Teachers from John Wilcock College visited SMAN 1 Tabanan in October 2012, and families and staff from John Wilcock College have visited SMAN 1 Tabanan during personal holidays to Bali. The schools are looking to establish teacher and student further exchanges.

Kangaroo Island Community Education (KICE), SA

Partner school:

SMA Negeri Sumatera Selatan

A number of reciprocal teacher visits have taken place between these schools including a principal visit to SMAN Sumatera Selatan. A further visit to KICE by Indonesian students is scheduled for the near fuiture. Wikispace and Moodle have been used as online platforms for the sharing of digital content and student collaboration. Australian and Indonesian students communicate on these platforms as well as via email about current topics in in their communities. This correspondence is then used as texts for language learning and analysis by students making and using templates from informational material for their own learning. Collaboration occurs in Languages, The Arts and Science. One highlight has been the Rivers Project: ‘Two Rivers, Two Islands, One Future’, winner of the South Australian Department of Education and Children’s Services ‘New Media Award’ in 2010.

Kirwan State High School, QLD

Partner school:

SMAN 1 Boja, Central Java

In 2013, these schools set about undertaking cross-curricular activities including a Year 9 online discussion forum focused on sustainable and harmonious relationships between Indonesia and Australia. In Year 10 a culture unit was developed in which students study films that illustrate aspects of Australian and Javanese/Indonesian cultures and then share their impressions and ideas.

Kormilda College, NT

Partner school:

SMAN 15 Surabaya, East Java

Students and teachers at Kormilda College engage with their Indonesian peers frequently in a variety of planned learning activities. The schools established an annual reciprocal student and teacher visit program which began in 2011. These visits have influenced the vitality and value of the school partnership considerably, laying the foundation for friendships between students and parents (through homestays). A geography teacher from Kormilda visited SMAN 15 in January 2015 to explore opportunities to expand the school partnership beyond the language learning area. Students and teachers from both schools participate in videoconferences every few weeks, providing opportunities for discussions on a range of topics such as Indonesian music, Independence Day and religious festivals. Students also use the partnership Wikispace to complete learning activities and generate content that provides authentic language learning resources for their peers in Australia/Indonesia.

Lansdowne Crescent Primary School, TAS

Partner school:

SDN Kaliasin 1, East Java

Participation in BRIDGE has raised the profile of the Indonesian language program at Lansdowne Crescent Primary School. Teachers and students communicate regularly via videoconference and penpal letters. Lansdowne Crescent has been stimulated by the Australian Curriculum’s cross-curriculum priorities of sustainability and Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia to develop a bilingual environmental QR code walk at Mt Lofty Nature Reserve. This walk is accessible online by both schools and is used to encourage students to discuss environmental issues and share local experiences. The development of this resource culminated in a bilingual 'Land to Sea; Unity in Diversity' online multimedia project, which is both an educational resource and a showcase for student work. In late 2014, Lansdowne Crescent Primary School was awarded an Australia-Indonesia Institute grant to bring two new Indonesian teachers to Australia for two weeks. This proved fruitful for shaping ongoing plans.

Leongatha Primary School, VIC

Partner school:

SD and SMA Santa Ursula, DKI Jakata

The Leongatha Primary School Council has supported reciprocal visits of teachers each year of this partnership to build teacher capacity and help sustain the partnership. This has supported teachers from both schools becoming active in connecting their classes. Teachers report that collaboration between the schools has improved language learning outcomes for students. It has also resulted in a Leongatha teacher committing to learn Indonesian to further support the implementation of the project.

Students regularly use Edmodo to share information on selected topics, including Wayang puppets, NAIDOC week, batik and sports. Both schools have also celebrated Australia Day and Indonesian Independence Day and shared history, traditions and cultural practice as part of this. This is complemented with a videoconference each month for Years 3-5.

Leongatha’s assistant principal and a classroom teacher visited Jakarta in April 2014 to explore opportunities for taking Victorian students to Indonesia. Indonesian student and teacher visits to Leongatha occurred in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Light Pass Primary School, SA

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SDN Lemahputro 1 Sidoarjo, East Java

Year levels:

F – 7

Key learning areas:

Languages, Technologies

“The highlight of the partnership was having our students meet and work with our two partnership teachers. Our students were so interested in finding out about school life in Indonesia.” – Vicky Ireland

Light Pass Primary School, ‘Kevin the Koala’ and SDN Lemahputro 1 have teamed up to undertaken a range of activities to support student learning, build their school partnership and support mutual understanding. In 2014, Light Pass students sent ‘Kevin the Koala’ to Indonesia for students to develop stories of his adventures and share with Australian students. They also included hand written letters of students from reception to year 7 via email (scanned).

The momentum between the two partner schools continued, as Light Pass students have learnt all about Indonesian foods and cooking through the establishment of an Indonesian garden on campus. The SDN Lemahputro 1 students have enjoyed Australian salads and other Australian vegetable and herb dishes in East Java in their “Australian Garden”.

Students across the entire school have participated in an Indonesian cultural day at Light Pass Primary School to profile Indonesian art, craft, cuisine and music. This built up greater interest and understanding of Indonesian culture.

Lorne Aireys Inlet P-12 College, VIC

Partner school:

SMA Muhammadiyah 2 Surabaya, East Java

A biennial reciprocal student visit program has been established between these partner schools – resulting in four exchanges. Australian teachers report opportunities to visit SMA Muhammadiyah 2 and hosting visiting peers has increased student engagement in the Indonesian language program at Lorne-Aireys Inlet. Other outcomes for students include deepening intercultural understanding and developing a sense of shared identity between Victorian and Indonesian peers. Collaboration has involved email communication between students in preparation for and following visits.

Macarthur Anglican School, NSW

Partner school:

MTsN 3 Jakarta

Students and teachers at Macarthur Anglican School engage with their Indonesian peers frequently in a variety of learning activities. Supported by a memorandum of understanding, the schools have established an annual reciprocal student and teacher visit program, with visits occurring since 2012 with financial support from school leadership.

• In January 2012 the Head of Indonesian and Head of English from Macarthur Anglican School visited MTsN 3 Jakarta for five days at the conclusion of the AEF study program.
• In June 2012 the Dean of Studies from Macarthur Anglican School visited MTsN 3 Jakarta for two days to sign a memorandum of understanding between the schools.
• In November 2012 the Headmistress, Deputy Headmistress, English teacher and a small group of students (around 10 students) from MTsN 3 spent a week in Australia, hosted for five nights by Macarthur Anglican School families.
• In June 2013 three teachers and nine students from Macarthur Anglican school visited MTsN 3.

Teachers at both schools team-teach shared lessons via Skype. Language students at both schools participate in an annual ‘Lomba Pidato’ speech competition with students judged by staff from the other school in a live final via Skype. In 2014, students participated in a digital storytelling project whereby Indonesian students provided a brief introduction about themselves and the NSW Year 8 students created a digital story about their new Indonesian friend. A small group of staff and students from Macarthur Anglican School are scheduled to visit MTsN3 in the near future.

Margaret River Primary School, WA

Partner school:

SDN Pacinongang Unggulan

These schools have planned for the development and long-term sustainability of their partnership by expanding the range of classes and year levels involved in BRIDGE activities each year.

Collaborative activities currently taking place between Indonesian and Australian students include making movies about their daily lives to share with peers at their partner school, group activities between junior primary students on the topic of celebrations, Skype activity to support written and oral Indonesian and English language learning, and sharing an inquiry unit on based the history of Makassar. During a visit to Sulawesi in 2013 Australian teachers met with local Directors and Ministry of Education officials and participated in a full-day professional learning workshop with Gowa Regency teachers and administrators.

Teachers at Margaret River Primary report that their partnership has significantly raised the profile of their Indonesian language program and secured it in an environment where many other government primary schools in Western Australia have dropped language programs as a result of budget cuts. Furthermore the partnership has provided opportunities for Indonesian language and studies to be implemented across the curriculum as a result of the inquiry-based learning programs developed via BRIDGE.

Marlborough Primary School, VIC

Partner school:

MIN Cempaka Putih

Students from these schools have engaged in synchronous and asynchronous communication via Skype, penpal letters, video messages and Travelbugs. Inquiry projects have been implemented in both schools across a number of learning areas. These include exploring contemporary religions with students sharing their practice, building intercultural understanding through sharing similarities, differences and diversity of culture, and practising language skills through videoconferencing and letter writing. The schools have also jointly published ‘a day in my life’ book. Teachers at Marlborough have extensively used video, digital photography and the Wikispace to document partnership activity and tell their 'Sister School Story'.

Since joining BRIDGE, Marlborough has embedded studies of Asia into all relevant key learning areas. An Indonesian language program was established at the school in 2012. Teachers from Marlborough Primary School have visited their Indonesian partner school twice, facilitating the signing of the schools’ partnership memorandum of understanding. A return visit from MIN Cempaka Putih (the principal, two teachers and five students) occurred in early 2014. The schools hope to be able to sustain future teacher and student visits.

Monivae College, VIC

Partner school:

SMA Kusuma Bangsa

These schools have established an annual reciprocal student and teacher visit program. According to teachers at Monivae College, BRIDGE has raised the profile of Indonesian study within the school. Students are engaged in fortnightly videoconference sessions and regular penpal activities. Videoconference sessions have proven extremely popular with students and have greatly improved student engagement in classes. Australian Year 7 students have delivered penpal letters written in Indonesian in person during their last visit in 2014. Students from Kusuma Bangsa respond to the letters in English and these buddy relationships will be maintained through classroom interaction up until Year 9.

Mount Stromlo High School, ACT

Sector:

Government

School level:

Secondary

Partner school:

SMPN Satu Atap 2 Losarang, West Java

Following the establishment of the school partnership in June 2014, the Indonesian language teacher from Mount Stromlo High School visited SMPN Satu Atap 2 in September to consolidate plans for linking language classes. This resulted in the following activities being undertaken in the last three months:

• Developing a bilingual recipe book on Australian and Indonesia cuisine.
• Strengthening year 9 students’ aural and oral language skills via videoconferencing.
• Designing and emailing greeting cards by year 8 students.

The art teacher and principal from Mount Stromlo High School will visited Indonesia in early 2015 with the aim to consolidate their school partnership and develop collaboration activities across other learning areas.

Mt Tarcoola Primary School, WA

Partner school:

SD Negeri 4 Wates

Students at Mt Tarcoola Primary School and SDN 4 Wates engage in a range of cross-curriculum activities that use a variety of digital media. One example is the Year 7 environmental study collaborative activity ‘Two Rivers Project’. Partnership Wikispaces and Edublogs are used to support student collaboration forums and other learning activities. The partnership Wikispace also contains resources developed by teachers at both schools, as well as samples of student work and a range of digital resources. A new Wikispace and Edublog are being used to connect classes. Teachers from Mt Tarcoola visited their Indonesian partner in 2012 and 2014. Strong commitment from leadership at both schools has resulted in the partnership being embedded in school plans and influencing curriculum at both schools.

Mullumbimby High School, NSW

Partner school:

SMAN 5 Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara

The schools’ partnership Wikispace is used regularly to facilitate communication between students. This has been complemented by regular video conferencing via Skype. While these online interactions have been important in establishing the partnership, most learning activities have revolved around the reciprocal student and teacher visits in each of the past four years. Further exchange activities are being planned. These reciprocal visits generally involve intensive in-country experiences for teachers and students, both in Indonesia and Australia. According to Mullumbimby’s principal, ‘Although the school had been teaching Indonesian language for many years, the BRIDGE project added a deeper dimension to the study.’ The partnership teacher at Mullumbimby, described the most significant change for her school as ‘long–term friendships developed between students that continue to develop after they have left high school. This often results in my students becoming more interested in Indonesia and studying Indonesian at university.’

Narre Warren North Primary School, VIC

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SDN Lempuyangwangi, Yogyakarta

Year levels:

F – 6

Key learning areas:

Arts, Geography, History, Languages

Student engagement and improved teacher capacity has been a key outcome of this school partnership with Australian and Indonesian teachers reporting impacts across both school communities. At Narre Warren North Primary School, BRIDGE has been the driving force for the introduction of Indonesian language instruction. At SDN Lempuyangwangi, the Indonesian teachers report “the BRIDGE project has significantly contributed to our experiences, knowledge and skills impacting our performance as teachers.” Students in Australia and Indonesia are more enthused and engaged in their studies and their awareness and understandings of Australian and Indonesia have been increased. Since April 2014, students have worked on a number of collaborative activities:

• Understanding Australian and Indonesian cultural practice through the sharing of key holiday rituals and family traditions.
• Connecting with each other via Google Hangouts (videoconferencing) to practice language (e.g. greetings, about myself).
• Sharing information about themselves, families and school through letter writing (grade six e-pal activity).

Narrogin Senior High School, WA

Partner school:

MAN 4 Jakarta

Narrogin Senior High School teachers report that participation in BRIDGE has led to increased enrolments in Indonesian language, resulting in the operation of Years 9 and 10 Indonesian elective classes and students continuing Indonesian in Year 11. Partner teachers and students are in regular contact via email and SMS. Beyond visits, student activities have included design and distribution of online surveys between Year 10-12 partner students focused on popular culture, Indonesian students supporting Year 8, 9 and 10 students at Narrogin in preparation for Indonesian language oral assessment tasks, and the operation of an Intercultural Understanding seminar via videoconference facilitated by Narrogin staff for students at MAN 4. Teachers and students from Narrogin Senior High School have firm plans to visit their Indonesian partner school.

Northampton District High School, WA

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary and Secondary

Partner school:

SMPN 3 Cileungsi, West Java

Year levels:

1 – 8

Key learning area:

Languages

In October of 2014, two teachers from partner school SMPN 3 Cileungsi visited Northamton District High School to meet the teachers and students. This visit also saw the signing of a two-year Memorandum of Understanding to focus on supporting each other’s language learning and teacher practice. The key focus of this partnership since its establishment in June 2014 has been around building teacher professional capacity. Indonesian teachers at SMPN 3 have reported increased principal and colleague support in English language learning across subject areas as a result of the school partnership. Australian teachers have been mentoring Indonesian teachers in the use of ICT in teaching and learning. Both schools plan to link English and Indonesian classes to build language capacity.

Pakenham Consolidated School, VIC

Partner school:

SD Inpres Oepoi Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara

SD Inpres Oepoi Kupang teachers have reportedly developed their classroom practices, including the integration of digital content, based on the BRIDGE professional learning and modelling of partner teachers. SD Inpres Oepoi has introduced ‘English Friday’ which has contributed to Indonesian students being more motivated to learn and practice English language skills.

An Australian partner teacher visited SD Inpres Oepoi in January 2014. Partner teachers are in regular contact via email, photos and other material are currently exchanged between classes, and plans are in place for regular videoconferences.

Parramatta High School, NSW

Partner school:

SMAN 70

Contact between partner teachers has been regular over the last five years and focused on personal connections that support teacher professional development with some opportunities for student collaboration. Initially, classes connected using the shared Wikispace. One teacher from Parramatta has visited SMAN 70 twice, in 2010 and 2012, with a second teacher visiting in 2013. The focus of these visits was to build teacher capacity and share resources. Teachers at both schools report a sense of deeper intercultural understanding amongst students and school community recognition on the need to understand our neighbours. Teachers have indicated they are keen to instigate personal email contact between language students in Years 11 and 12.

Point Cook College, VIC

Partner school:

SD Kebon Jeruk 11, DKI Jakarta

Teachers at Point Cook have reported that the professional learning and resources provided by BRIDGE has been instrumental in changing the way the college plans learning across the school. Two Australian teachers visited SD Kebon Jeruk 11 in 2011 to further collaboration between the two schools. Collaborative activities undertaken to date include:

• Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 exploring flora and fauna in Geography
• Years 5 and 6 sharing life experience in languages classes
• Year 6 exploring culture in social science.

Informed by their experiences in Australia, teachers at SDN Kebuk Jeruk 11 have initiated a ‘green school’ program that educates students about keeping the school campus clean and how to save energy. Both schools plan to extend their collaboration to include student-to-student email communication and sharing of greeting cards on appropriate occasions.

Port Lincoln Primary School, SA

Partner school:

SMP Darul Ulum 1, West Kalimantan

Partner teachers are in regular contact via Facebook and students communicate through penpal letters. This includes regular mail for materials on culture and national holidays/celebrations and email for sharing photos. Two visits made by Port Lincoln PS teachers to SMP Darul Ulum 1 in 2012 expanded their knowledge about Indonesia and strengthened the partnership by ensuring that ways were found to maintain effective contact.

Rapid Bay Primary and Yankalilla Area School, SA (combined partnership)

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SD Marsudirini, Yogyakarta

This school partnership has reported a number of outcomes in regards to teacher capacity and student learning. An Indonesian teacher from SD Marsudirini reported that increases in his professional capacity following his trip to Australia supported him in being promoted to vice principal. Teachers from both schools have also reported increased interest in language classes. Collaborative activities undertaken by students to date include:

• Writing about experiences and creating stories about Indonesia for Australian students to build language capacity.
• Sharing information about student life through the exchange of penpal letters between grade 5 and 6 classes.
• Building language capacity of grade 5 and 6 classes via videoconferencing.
• Exchanging surveys on culture and traditions to build mutual understanding.
• Videoconferencing activities with a focus on instructional practice such as making pottery, painting batik and dancing.

Ringwood North Primary School, VIC

Sector:

Government

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SMPN 4 Gegerbitung Satu Atap, West Java

Year levels:

F – 6

Key learning areas:

Arts, Civics and Citizenship, Geography, Languages, Technologies

“Photos are an incredible way to share and discuss culture and further develop intercultural understandings.” – Shirley Allison

Following the establishment of the school partnership in June 2014, two teachers from the partner school made the trip to Ringwood North, and this exposure to native speakers of Indonesian has been very significant. Students needed to use their Indonesian language skills to communicate with the teachers, and this has improved students linguistic skills, but also general communication strategies. Following this visit, both Australian teachers visited SMPN 4 Gegerbitung Satu Atap in September to consolidate classroom collaboration.

Since the teacher exchange, focus has been placed on language and culture for student collaborations:

• Producing videos of students singing Australian and Indonesian songs.
• Sharing of activities around cultural celebrations in Australia and Indonesia.
• Exchanging pen-pal letters in English and Indonesian to build language capacity.

Since joining BRIDGE, one of the Indonesian teachers has been promoted to a leading teacher and will support professional learning of her colleagues.

Saint Aloysius College, SA

Partner school:

SMA Xaverius 1

This school partnership has included a number of reciprocal visits and initiated collaboration with two other BRIDGE schools: Saint Columba, South Australia and SMA Plus Negeri 17, Palembang. Teachers from Saint Aloysius College and Saint Columba visited Indonesia in 2013. This was reciprocated by staff and students from SMA Xaverius 1 later that year. The schools have built a Wikispace to share resources such as student-made videos about local cultures, and introductory activities such as disseminating and reporting outcomes of student surveys on their household and the use of technology.

Saint Catherine’s Catholic College, QLD

Partner school:

MIN Al-Alzhar Asyarif

Partnership-based learning activities have been implemented in the Indonesian, English and general classroom at Saint Catherine’s. Students have been involved in a range of activities.

• Creating ‘knowledge hunt posters’ and uploaded them to their Wikispace for display to parents.
• Sharing personal stories on heritage and origins.
• Year 5 contributing a ‘roll-call’ chant to their shared Wikispace.
• Year 9 students creating Vokis and embedded them in the shared Wikispace.
• Using Skype sessions to practice language.

Intercultural/interfaith learning activities have also been introduced through BRIDGE teacher engagement. An outcome of this is the use of an English-Arabic mural book as the primary focus for Book Week at both schools. (Arabic is a subject at MIN Al-Azhar Asyarif.) This has contributed to increasing awareness among the wider Saint Catherine's school community of the Muslim elements of Indonesian culture. Australian teachers report that Skype interaction has increased interest in language learning among their students. Teachers at MIN Al-Azhar have reported that they now include content about Australia in their curriculum, in particular about contemporary society, multiculturalism diversity, respect for difference and global citizenship. Plans are underway for a student and teacher visit to Indonesia that includes a three-day homestay.

Saint Columba College, SA

Partner school:

SMA Plus Negeri 17 Palembang

As a result of participation in BRIDGE, teachers at Saint Columba College report that parents have become more supportive of their children studying Indonesian. Teachers at SMA Plus Negeri 17 say they have extended the content of what they teach to encompass intercultural understanding and respect for diversity.

Saint John's College, NSW

Partner school:

SMAN 2 Krakatau Steel

Involvement in BRIDGE enhanced an existing school partnership between St John's College and SMAN 2 Krakatau Steel and facilitated the establishment of an annual reciprocal student visit program. Correspondence is maintained between both teachers and students using media such as email, Line, and social media. Teachers at SMAN 2 Krakatau Steel have expanded their teaching content to encompass intercultural understanding and the need for tolerance and cooperation among people as result of their BRIDGE experiences. In 2015, a visit with an environmental project as the focus is expected from St John’s to SMAN 2.

Scotch College, WA

Partner school:

SD and SMA Al Izhar, East Java

A memorandum of understanding focusing on online engagement and reciprocal staff and student visits was signed during a visit of three teachers from Scotch College to Al-Izhar in 2011. Visits from Al-Izhar have taken place in 2011 (principal, teachers and students) and in 2013 (teachers and students). During the reciprocal visits students become students of their partner school; wearing the uniform and attending regular classes with peers their age. According to teachers, the greatest amount of learning comes from the homestay experience, and students often remain in close contact with their host families. Shared language learning occurs via videoconference and email. Every year in term four Year 11 students at both schools participate in a communication project via Skype that forms part of their language assessment. Australian and Indonesian students are paired and tasked to gather information about one another to write a biography.

Scots PGC College, QLD

Partner school:

MTs Al Azhar, DKI Jakarta

The establishment of a strong relationship between partner teachers created solid foundations for the school partnership. One of the Australian teachers visited MTs Al Azhar in 2012 providing an opportunity to develop additional plans for the partnership. Both Australian and Indonesian teachers indicated that although students do not get to communicate directly very often, involvement in the program has had a powerful impact on understandings of each other’s religions, cultures, contemporary society and diversity through the sharing of information from teachers. In the words of one teacher BRIDGE has helped bring the study of language to life for the students.

Scotts Head Public School, NSW

Partner school:

SMPN 4 Narmada, West Nusa Tenggara

The partnership with SMPN 4 has boosted the Scott’s Head school community’s interest in Indonesia and resulted in the school applying and being successful in becoming an Indonesian bilingual school in 2012. Two teachers visited Indonesia in 2012 and a return visit by one Indonesian teacher occurred in 2013. This has helped facilitate the implementation of an English extra-curricular activity (mandatory) for all students at SMPN 4, resulting in improved English language skills.

Secret Harbour Primary School, WA

Partner school:

SMP Darul Ulum 1

Two Australian teachers visited SMP Darul Ulum in 2013 to help consolidate the partnership. Partnership activities have included fundraising by Secret Harbour Primary for their Indonesian counterpart to provide books and IT equipment to support online collaboration via Skype, Wikispaces, Flat Traveller activities and the sharing of student projects online. A weekly lunchtime Indonesian Club established by the partner teachers at Secret Harbour Primary has proven very popular with students. Club members participate in a range of language and cultural activities such as cooking, batik and puppet making. According to teachers, participation in BRIDGE has brought about a shift in perception at Secret Harbour Primary School about the value and importance of learning Indonesian and being more culturally aware.

Southern Christian College, TAS

Partner school:

SMA Muhammadiyah 1 Denpasar, Bali

In 2010 Southern Christian College established an annual staff and student visit to Indonesia. Each year, different staff members and students travel to Indonesia to visit SMA Muhammadiyah 1. More than half of the teachers at Southern Christian College have now visited Indonesia.

Following the visits students maintain contact via Wikispaces and classroom videoconferencing sessions across various learning areas:

• Health and Physical Education – students have collaborated to teach and share sports and traditional activities relevant to each culture by creating video clips and sharing online.
• Technology/Languages – students have prepared and shared the recipes for some 'traditional' foods via videoconferencing.
• Languages – students have exchanged information and ideas using each other's language via videoconferencing.

School leaders from Southern Christian College have been highly supportive of the partnership, participating in study tours to Indonesia and promoting BRIDGE among staff. The school has made appropriate commitments to support ongoing visits.

South Grafton High School, NSW

Partner school:

SMAN 2 Sampit, Central Kalimantan

Two Australian teachers visited SMAN 2 Sampit in 2013. One teacher returned to Sampit in 2014. These visits supported the consolidation of the partnership and increased the number of interclass partnership connections, including the English class taught by the Principal. Students are currently engaged in an email exchange as well as posted penpal letters using a mixture of English and Indonesian. Teachers maintain regular contact through email and Facebook. Using resources gathered by the teachers during visits to Kalimantan, Australian students created PowerPoint presentations on threats to orang-utans and their habitat while the Indonesian students worked on endangered Australian animals.

​St Catherine's Catholic College Singleton, NSW

Partner school:

MTs PSA Ta'allumul Huda

St Catherine’s Catholic College and MTs PSA Ta’allumul Huda have developed resources to support language learning. These include poetry, short stories, Indonesian folk stories, Indigenous dreamtime stories and artworks shared on their Wikispace and GoogleDocs. Other BRIDGE activities at St Catherine’s Catholic College have included a ‘Treasure Box’ that is moved from class to class every fortnight. Students contribute small items to the box to give to students at their partner school. The box is then posted to Indonesia. St Catherine's school community has also been involved in fundraising to sponsor a student and a teacher from MTs to visit Australia. The partnership Wikispace is used by the BRIDGE teachers at St Catherine’s as a central repository of information and resources about Indonesia for the student and school community.

St Paul's Catholic School, NT

Sector:

Catholic

Partner school:

SDN Cicabe, West Java

Since joining the BRIDGE Project, both schools have reported an increased interest in the people and culture of Indonesia and Australia across their school communities. Activities have focused on letter writing between students to build language capacity. The AEF is supporting a new teacher at St Paul’s Catholic School to be part of the project since their lead teacher left in September 2014.

St Thomas More's Catholic School, TAS

Sector:

Catholic

School level:

Primary

Partner school:

SDN Margorejo IV/406, East Java

Year levels:

F – 6

Key learning areas:

Arts, Geography, History, Mathematics

“Our BRIDGE project has encouraged all teachers, not just our Indonesian language teacher, to make more connections to Asia through their teaching and learning.” – Shaye Noble.

St Thomas More’s Catholic School and SDN Margorejo IV/406 have reported a keen interest in building student language capacity. This is evident through the focus on collaborative activities undertaken since June 2014:

• Exchanging of letters by grades 3 to 6 in English by Indonesian students and Indonesian by Australian students.
• Building the English language programme at SDN Margorejo IV/406 through the establishment of an 'English Day'. This requires students to speak English one day a week.

In 2014 St Thomas More’s Catholic School was host to two Indonesian schools. This visit dramatically boosted interest in Indonesian from the students, because it made the relationship so much more real. This greater interest led to a deeper understanding of the ways of life in Indonesia. Australian teachers plan to visited Indonesia in early 2015 to strengthen their understanding of Indonesian education and further develop collaborative activities.

St Thomas the Apostle Primary School, ACT

Partner school:

SDN BI Semarang

Students communicate via teacher-moderated group emails to share ‘a day in the life’ experiences. The broader school community at St Thomas the Apostle has been directly involved in the school partnership through a book drive for SDN Bi Kota Semarang as part of book week. Two visits have been made by St Thomas the Apostle staff to Indonesia and there are plans for the principal of SDN BI Kota Semarang to come to Canberra. Visits have supported professional learning between teachers and included opportunities to meet with regional education authorities and interviews by local press and television news programs.

Taroona High School, TAS

Partner school:

MTs. Ishlahul Ikhwan NW Mispalah, West Nusa Tenggara

A cross-curriculum approach at Taroona HS has supported the inclusion of activities as diverse as using Indonesian folktales and choreography in its drama and dance curriculum and hosting a collaborative Sustainable Schools workshop. Partner contact regularly occurs via email and other ICT to support the newly established Indonesian language program.

A visit made by the Australian teacher to MTs in 2014 deepened understanding of cultural and religious aspects of the lives of Indonesian students and teachers. Planning is underway for a student visit from Taroona High School to MTs Ishlahul Ikhwan NW Mispalah where students will learn about life in the madrasah.

Torquay P-6 College, VIC

Partner school:

SDI Bertingkat Oebobo 2, East Nusa Tenggara

In this partnership a lunchtime Indonesian-English Club has been established where Australian and Indonesian students videoconference, build friendships and practice language. As a result of the program, BRIDGE teachers at SDI Bertingkat Oebobo 2 have introduced some new professional practices include time management and punctuality as well as teaching methodology that promotes positive reinforcement for student learning. Because of the motivation of engaging with peers at Torquay College, enthusiasm for learning and practicing English has increased across learning areas at SDI Bertingkat Oebobo 2. Students aim to learn a target number of new English words each day.

Tranby College, WA

Partner school:

SMAN 5 Surabaya, East Java

Each year since 2010, 30 Indonesian students have visited Tranby College, staying with host families and participating in various in-school and homestay activities. Tranby students and teachers have reciprocated these visits, participating in a range of school and cultural activities in Indonesia. These exchanges have resulted in deeper cultural knowledge about each other’s country, increased motivation for language learning, strengthened language skills, and the fostering of personal relationships. These student-to-student relationships are often sustained andare maintained through regular online communication via email, Facebook and SMS. The key platform for ‘back-home’ classroom learning activities is the schools’ joint Wikispace. The impact of BRIDGE at Tranby College has resulted in a number of students going on to volunteer at SMAN 5 in their gap years and also studying Indonesian at a tertiary level.

Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College, Tumbi Umbi Campus, NSW

Partner school:

SMPN 1 Sampit, Central Kalimantan

A partnership Wikispace developed by teachers celebrates the schools' engagement and a visit to Sampit made by the two Australian teachers in 2013. Teachers at SMPN 1 report significant impacts to teaching and learning as a result of participation in BRIDGE. These include an increase in number of extracurricular hours devoted to English, a perceived increase in English proficiency, development of new language teaching practices, the sharing of these skills through staff in-service for other teachers, and the development of school infrastructure and access to ICT at SMPN 1 Sampit. Students have collaborated via a range of learning areas to undertake activities such as:

• creating and exchanging short videos describing and illustrating the two contexts (‘A Day at School’, ‘The Life of a Kid’)
• sharing folk stories/ Aboriginal dreaming stories to use as the basis for narrative murals (the Indonesian story has been completed on the Australian wall and the other one is in progress)
• exploring issues in science relevant to local contexts that include ecology, biodiversity, endangered species.

There have been two visits to Sampit by the Australians — two teachers in 2013 and one teacher and three students in 2014. There are plans in place to support additional teachers from Tumbi Umbi to visit Sampit and for fundraising to bring Indonesian teachers back to Australia.

Two Rocks Primary School, WA

Partner school:

Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) Miftahul Ulum

The majority of contact in this partnership has been between teachers sharing ideas and resources about curriculum content. In 2012, one teacher from Two Rocks visited MI Miftahul Ulum. Teachers report that BRIDGE has expanded and diversified knowledge and resources available to teach students about contemporary Indonesia and Australia. In addition, Australian teachers indicated that BRIDGE enabled them to also develop a framework for cross-curricular learning activities outside of the language classroom.

Victor Harbor High School, SA

Partner school:

SMA Katolik Kesuma Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara

Teachers and students from SMA Katolik Kesuma Mataram have visited Victor Harbor High School biennially since 2010 with Australian teachers and the principal visiting SMAK Kesuma in 2011 and 2013. Partnership activities are focused on the Indonesian visits whereby students spend 10-14 days in a homestay with Australian students' families and accompany their partners to regular classes. The visiting Indonesian teachers participate in professional development, teach classes about Lombok and support language classes across the school. Australian students in Years 8 to 12 practice their Indonesian language with native speakers, have meaningful interactions and learn about Lombok and Indonesia through these conversations. According to the teachers this has increased student proficiency and confidence in Indonesian/ English and formed life-long friendships, with some Australian families planning visits to their host child's family and school in Lombok. Students also privately maintain friendships through Skype, email and Facebook.

Warrnambool College, VIC

Partner school:

SMAN 3 Yogyakarta

Since participation in BRIDGE the schools have strengthened language programs with a new emphasis on contemporary Indonesian and Australian society. Student videoconferencing sessions between Year 9 students have supported language learning and the implementation of a one-to-one iPad program in 2014 resulting in a shift of classroom collaboration towards the use of particular applications (FaceTime, messaging, digital storytelling). Other collaborative student activities have included a civics and citizenship project and peer tutoring for English and Indonesian language classes to support preparation for oral exams. Annual reciprocal visits by teachers and students commenced in 2012. Students have generally remained in communication with host families and classmates from their time visiting their partner school. A visit of 29 Australian students and four staff members to SMAN 3 is planned for the near future.

Wagga Wagga Christian College, NSW

Partner school:

SMPN 1 Galur, Yogyakarta

Since establishing a BRIDGE partnership, teachers at Wagga Wagga Christian College have reported increased classroom engagement with students more enthused to learn Indonesian and to develop friendships with peers at their partner school. For the first time students are choosing to continue studying Indonesian in Year 9 via distance education because they are keen to visit their partner school. Prior to involvement in BRIDGE Indonesian was introduced at Year 7. It is now taught from Foundation until Year 8, with Year 9 as an elective taught via distance education. Students have created digital scrapbook pages to develop target language skills. Their scrapbooks are shared with peers at their partner school. The schools are in regular contact via email and SMS, and are using ICT tools such as Book Creator and Tellagami to create student profiles and stories to share among students.

Woolooware High School, NSW

Sector:

Government

School level:

Secondary

Partner school:

SMPN 2 Parung, West Java

Year level:

8

Key learning areas:

Languages, Mathematics

Teachers at both schools have supported students to collaborate across a range of learning areas such as languages, mathematics and civics and citizenship:

• Creating and sharing videos about Indonesian Independence Day to support Australian year 8 students’ Indonesian language and cultural learning.
• Building family trees in English and Indonesian to learn about family structures and strengthen language capacity.
• Writing articles about public places in Australia and Indonesia to share information about local communities.
• Surveying Australian and Indonesian students on likes and dislikes and creating graphs to identify commonalities and differences.

Xavier College, SA

Partner school:

MAN Insan Cendekia Serpong

This partnership has raised the profile of Indonesian language study at Xavier College and teachers have reported increased student engagement and enrolment numbers, particularly in Years 10-12. Visits by teachers from other learning areas, such as Science, Geography, Religion and The Arts, to their Indonesian partner school has helped to expand studies of Indonesia across the curriculum at the school. The South Australian teachers note that this experience has broadened their knowledge and significantly increased the range of resources available to support teaching of Indonesian and about contemporary Indonesia and Islam. South Australian students have written and filmed a promotional video in Indonesian about South Australia to share with their Indonesian peers. Students currently engage in occasional videoconference sessions and other partnership-related activities. Faculty leaders at Xavier plan to expand the scale of the partnership by including additional related activities in the curriculum, especially through the use of digital storytelling and Edmodo.

Nine teachers from MAN Insan Cendikia Serpong visited Adelaide for professional development purposes in 2013. They learnt about student-centred and active learning and the integration of content and values in such areas as environmental sustainability. Prompted through BRIDGE, offline ICT is now used extensively in English and chemistry classes at MAN Insan Cendikia Serpong.