TINONEE Public School students welcomed two Indonesian teachers to class on Friday May 29 as part of a groundbreaking intercultural understanding project.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Australia-Indonesia Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement (BRIDGE) School Partnerships Project currently involves 528 teachers from 264 schools, and connects thousands of Indonesian and Australian students.
Introduced by Tinonee Public School's Indonesian language teacher, Jim Rourke, the two visiting teachers are from an Indonesian partner school SMP 16 Singkawang, a junior high school in Singkawang, West Kalimantan (Borneo).
"It is a fantastic way to bring a subject to life," said Jim Rourke.
Jim has been hosting one of the teachers in his home and will also travel to Indonesia later in the year to speak with students about life in Australia.
The visiting teachers, Fery Hardi a science teacher and Mella Zuniarti an English teacher, worked with students in years 4,5 and 6. These students have been learning Indonesian language skills since the start of this year as part of the school's new Indonesian language program.
"It has been a very positive experience," said school principal Nigel Sherrard.
"The students have already performed in school assemblies by counting and singing and they are really starting to see the fruits of their labour."
The program is helping the children of Tinonee Public School to more clearly understand a different culture and with Asian countries on the curriculum, Nigel said it is very relevant to their studies.
"We are really enjoying this opportunity and it is a program we are hoping to continue," he said.