Who can apply?
To be eligible, an Australian teacher must:
o have a bachelor’s degree or equivalent teaching qualification and registration.
o be motivated to lead a BRIDGE School Partnership with a school in Indonesia and engage with their partner teacher's classes and school.
o be able to host their Indonesian partner teachers in their home in Australia (or find a suitable host) and school visit for one week - Pending COVID-19.
o commit to working with their partner teacher for at least one year following the reciprocal homestay and school visit and through online collaborative projects.
o have sound computer skills.
o have an interest in furthering the use of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in their classroom practice.
How do I apply?
To apply to be a participant in the Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnership Program in 2023, please complete this form Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program and submit the completed application form to bridge@asialink.unimelb.edu.au prior to the closing date.
Please note that you are unable to save your application and return to it at a later time. It may be useful to download a word version of the application form to prepare your responses and then copy/paste in the relevant sections of this online application.
When do applications close?
For Australian schools, applications opened on Wednesday, 1 February 2023 and closeD on Monday, 3 April 2023.
What costs are included?
For Australian participants, the cost of the online Professional Learning Program webinars is covered. Online webinars to focus on: Partnership Establishment, Intercultural Understanding and Global Competence, Technology, Sustainable Development Goals, a Design Sprint and Project Planning, Exhibition and Celebration of Learning.
What costs are not included?
Funding for Casual Relief Teachers (CRT) is not available. In addition, costs relating to the homestay and school visit by two Indonesian partner educators in Australia are to be borne by Australian partner schools. In 2023, a reciprocal visit to Indonesia by Australian BRIDGE participants is not included in Program costs.
Is the BRIDGE Professional Learning Program accredited?
The BRIDGE School Partnerships Program is aligned with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers as identified by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), but not accredited with State bodies such as NESA or ACTTQI. If teachers wish to apply for accreditation, they will have to do so in retrospect. AEF will be happy to support this application with any documentation required.
The Professional Learning Program is designed to support the knowledge, practice, and professional engagement framework for educators to achieve high-quality, effective teaching in 21st century skills. It explicitly supports teachers to deliver the Australian Curriculum's Intercultural Understanding capability and Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia cross-curriculum priority.
Can I claim Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE Program costs on my tax?
Educators may be able to claim their Program expenses under a number of tax deduction categories. These include:
- self-education expenses
- excursions, school trips and camps if these trips have an educational benefit and are related to the curriculum or extra-curriculum activities of the school
- teaching aids used for work.
Participants should contact their tax advisor or visit the Australian Tax Office website to confirm their eligibility.
I live in a regional area; do I have to make my own way to a capital city to collect our school’s educator partners for the homestay in November?
Applications from schools located in regional and rural Australia are encouraged. It should be noted that all Australian school partners are asked to organise transfers to/from the airport for Indonesian partners on arrival and departure as part of the homestay and school visit component of the Program.
What is time commitment?
The following timeline is indicative only and is subject to change. The impact of COVID-19 may result in additional amendments. BRIDGE will remain in contact with participants and continue to adhere to Australian Government policies and approaches regarding travel and group gatherings.
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BRIDGE activity
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Date
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Applications close for Australian schools/teachers
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3 April 2023
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Matching of Australian and overseas schools
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April – May 2023
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Pre-program online webinar briefings for participants
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July 2023
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Pre-program communication within partnerships
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August 2023
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Professional Learning Program (virtual):
7 x 90-minute sessions (10.5 hours in total)
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September – October 2023
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Seven-day homestay and school visit in Australia for Indonesian teachers
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Second week of November 2023
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Professional Learning Program (virtual):Celebration and Exhibition of Learning
1 x 90-minute session
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Late November 2023
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Completion of an online evaluation with a mix of short-form and free-form questions.
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December 2023
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As webinars are the main opportunity for collaboration prior to the Indonesians’ homestay visit, Australian partner schools are strongly encouraged to participate synchronously. It is anticipated webinars will include break-out opportunities for partnerships so attendance during scheduled times will make these more successful. That said, we understand it may not be possible to attend all eight webinars, so most sessions will be recorded for asynchronous access.
Are dates flexible?
No. Participants will need to commit to the timeframe for 2023 Program delivery as outlined above. INSERT LINK
Can BRIDGE Program activities be cancelled?
In-person BRIDGE partnership Program activities can be cancelled due to several reasons. This application includes an in-person homestay in Australia for Indonesian participants, pending COVID-19 and travel restrictions. AEF continues to adhere to Australian Government policies and advice regarding COVID-19 and will ensure delivery of the BRIDGE Program is conducted in a safe and secure manner. Should COVID-19 impact the scheduled in-person delivery, the Program will be delivered virtually.
How many schools will be participating in the 2023 Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE Program?
In 2023, ten new school partnerships will be established:
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Country
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Indonesia
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# Partnerships
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10 partnerships
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# Schools
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20 schools in total
10 Australian and 10 Indonesian
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# Teachers
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40 teachers in total
Two teachers per school
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Who will be in the program?
Participants will be educators from Australian Government, Independent and Catholic schools, employed from a variety of learning areas. They will come from a mix of primary and secondary schools across metropolitan, regional, and rural Australia.
Indonesian participants will be selected from schools located in range of Indonesian provinces and administered by either the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA).
What do I need to do to prepare?
Participants must sign, date, and submit the Principal-Teacher Agreement as part of their onboarding.
Throughout the Program, participants will be provided with electronic mail-outs. Participants are expected to read all information outlined in these mail-outs. These are:
- Welcome letter – acknowledgement of your registration on the Program.
- Briefings – to support your BRIDGE School Partnership and Program participation.
- Surveys and evaluation –a range of surveys designed to gather feedback which will contribute to the management of each partnership, support BRIDGE reporting requirements and promotion.
What will the school visit and homestay component involve?
Indonesian teachers will undertake a seven-day homestay and school experience with their Australian partner teachers, as a personalised face-to-face professional learning program in November 2023. This will provide opportunities for Indonesian teachers to learn more about Australia and its education system, discover their partner school and meet their partner school community, immerse themselves in the day-to-day life of their partner teacher and build their intercultural understanding.
It will also enable Australia-Indonesia partners to share teaching experiences, work on a collaborative project and plan for their ongoing engagement.
More information regarding the school visit and homestay will be provided as part of the onboarding and briefing process.
Do I have to write a report?
Throughout the delivery of the BRIDGE School Partnerships Program, participating teachers will be asked to provide feedback via a range of surveys as well as share examples of collaborative activities undertaken with their partner school on the AEF professional learning network. This feedback will contribute to the management of each partnership and support BRIDGE reporting requirements and promotional activities. Reporting is light touch however it is an expectation of participants that they adhere to reporting requirements in a timely manner.
Acknowledgements:
The Australia–Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program is supported by Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and implemented by the Asia Education Foundation at Asialink, The University of Melbourne.