The Bridge Project Supporting Online Collaboration Between Australian And Indonesian Schools

Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE Project

(Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement)

Project Partners

Project Supporters

Project Goals

• to increase Indonesian teachers’ and students’ knowledge and understanding of contemporary Australia

Project Goals

• to increase Australian teachers’ and students’ knowledge and understanding of Indonesia, particularly the role of religion in contemporary Indonesian society

Project Goals

• to support foreign language acquisition in Indonesian and Australian schools

• to support ten BEP (Basic Education Program) schools to acquire Internet technologies and undertake basic training related to their usage

Project Goals

Outcomes

For participating Australian teachers and schools:• increased knowledge and understanding about Indonesia

in Australian school• increased support and interest in Indonesian language

programs in Australian schools • strengthened intercultural understanding between

Indonesia and Australia• improved professional capacity to support

implementation of Internet-based collaborative learning • increased uptake of the National Statement for Engaging

Young Australians with Asia in Australian Schools

For participating Indonesian teachers and schools:• increased understanding of contemporary Australian

culture, society and history• improved professional capacity• strengthened intercultural understanding between

Indonesia and Australia• opportunities for Indonesian schools to establish

local learning clusters that support project goals

For all participants:• support for ongoing school linkages between

Indonesia and Australia to expand the benefits of the project beyond the individuals who participate to include other teachers, their students and school communities in both countries.

Project Model

The BRIDGE Project occurs in four phases:• Phase 1 – Preparing for the BRIDGE Project with basic

IT training, pre-departure support and mentoring• Phase 2 – Professional Learning Program for

Indonesian teachers in Australia and joint training with their Australian partners

• Phase 3 - School Engagement aimed to build Australian and Indonesian sister-school partnerships

• Phase 4 - Small Grants to Australian Schools to support ongoing engagement

Phase 1 – Preparing for the BRIDGE Project

Phase 1 – Preparing for the BRIDGE Project

Phase 2 – Professional Learning Program

For Australians• Three to four day program in Melbourne with

Indonesian partners• two-week school and homestay program

Phase 2 – Professional Learning Program

For Indonesians• three-week program in Australia for

Indonesian teachers • five-day professional learning program• two-week school and homestay program • two-day debriefing program in Sydney

Phase 3 - School Engagement

www.bridge.edu.au

• Getting Started• A Life Well Lived • Animal Mania • My Place, Your Place • The Not So Lonely Planet Guide • People Patterns • Making a Difference • Let’s Celebrate!

• Building BRIDGEs Anthology

Collaborative Activities

Wikis provide a collaborative spacewhereby contributors can participate together in the building of informationin one website. Individuals work together and often work on the same content.

Phase 4 - Small Grants to Australian Schools

The Australia-Indonesia Institute will offer small grants (up to $5,000) to Australian schools to: – support the implementation of school

partnerships – foster ongoing links between Indonesian and

Australian school communities– available 8 months after the professional learning

program in Australia

School’s role

An Australian school participating in the BRIDGE Project agrees to:– be committed to working with an Indonesian partner for at least one

year following the visit to Australia through online collaborative activities

– support two teachers’ full participation in the BRIDGE Project, including:• Attending 3-4 day professional learning program in Melbourne• Developing and implementing online collaborative activities and curriculum in

classrooms• Promoting the BRIDGE Project to colleagues to further engagement with their

Indonesian partner school

– have access to suitable hardware, software and regular access to the Internet

– have an interest in furthering or including ICT in the school curriculum.

Teachers’ role• have an interest in Indonesia • attend a 3-4day professional learning program in

Melbourne• host an Indonesian partner for two-weeks• undertake at least three online collaborative activities

(including a ‘Getting Started’ activity) over the following 12 months

• contribute to the ‘BRIDGE Anthology’• be open to learning new teaching methodologies and

using new practices in the classroom• promote the BRIDGE Project to colleagues to further

engagement with the Indonesian partner school

Some examples of current partnerships

http://partnershipfifteen.bridge.wikispaces.net/

http://partnershiptwentyeight.bridge.wikispaces.net/

http://partnershipone.bridge.wikispaces.net/

• Applications for Round Two of the BRIDGE Project will be released in September 2009

• For further information visit www.bridge.edu.au or email bridge@asialink.unimelb.edu.au