Indonesia BRIDGE Building Connections Through School Visit and Homestay

Twenty-two Indonesian teachers travelled to Australia in November 2024 as part of the Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program.  Over ten days, these educators experienced a professional learning journey that included school and homestay visits across the Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania.  

 

These visits enabled the Indonesian teachers to immerse themselves in Australian classrooms and culture, observe learning and teaching practices and share aspects of Indonesian culture and language with teachers and students,

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The professional learning program concluded with a three-day Immersion and Debrief in Melbourne featuring a range of learning activities. The Melbourne Scavenger Hunt took participants across the city and its surroundings, offering a fun and interactive way to engage with Australian culture and daily life.  A visit to the Immigration Museum provided insights into Victoria’s cultural diversity and the rich history of migration to Australia, offering a deeper understanding of our multicultural society.

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A workshop from Haileybury College, was a highlight. Stanley Wang and Dr Stephan Muller delivered a thought-provoking presentation on parallel education and addressing diversity, encouraging reflection on inclusive learning practices and programs. This session provided valuable insights for the Indonesian teachers to apply in their schools.

A visit to Melbourne Zoo offered the teachers an opportunity to engage with Australia’s unique biodiversity and explore environmental education, adding another layer to their experience.

Debrief and workshop sessions provided the opportunity for teachers to share learnings from the school and homestay visits, exchanging ideas and discussing the cultural and professional insights gained throughout their journey.

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We ran a survey to understand the experiences of teachers doing school visits and homestay. As presented in Figure 1, most of teachers believed that the program contributed positively to their partnerships as well as their intercultural skills and understanding of Australia, especially the education system in Australia.