Australia-Asia BRIDGE School Partnerships Project Connecting classrooms across cultures Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement

Asia Education Foundation Australian Education International, Australian Embassy, Jakarta Australian Education International, Australian Embassy, Seoul Australian Education International, Australian Embassy, Beijing Australian state and territory Catholic, independent and government education jurisdictions South Korean Provinces: 1. Gyeonggi 2. Daejeon South Korean Provinces: 1. Gyeonggi 2. Daejeon Chinese Provinces: 1. Chaoyang District, Beijing 2. Shandong Chinese Provinces: 1. Chaoyang District, Beijing 2. Shandong Indonesian Provinces: 1. DKI Jakarta, 2. Bali, 3. East Java, 4. South Sumatra, 5. West Nusa Tenggara, 6. West Kalimantan, 7. South Sulawesi, 8. Banten Indonesian Provinces: 1. DKI Jakarta, 2. Bali, 3. East Java, 4. South Sumatra, 5. West Nusa Tenggara, 6. West Kalimantan, 7. South Sulawesi, 8. Banten Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) The Myer Foundation Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) Australia-Korea Foundation, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia- Indonesia Institute, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australian Schools Indonesian Schools South Korean Schools Chinese Schools FUNDERS

‘Teaching Asia content, language and culture can serve as a great vehicle to develop global competency.’ Professor Yong Zhao, University of OregonYong Zhao

Outline of session

In the Australian Curriculum students develop intercultural understanding as they learn to understand themselves in relation to others. This involves students valuing their own languages, cultures and beliefs and those of others, and engaging with people of diverse languages and cultures in ways that recognise commonalities and differences, create connections and cultivate mutual respect. Intercultural understanding is an essential part of living with others in the diverse world of the twenty-first century. It assists young people to become responsible local and global citizens, equipped through their education for living and working together in an interconnected world. It helps them to understand their own cultural traditions, values and beliefs and to engage with the experiences and ideas of others. Conceptual Statement:

Australian Curriculum General Capability - Intercultural Understanding

The Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia priority provides a regional context for learning in all areas of the curriculum. China, India and other Asian nations are growing rapidly and the power and influence they have in all areas of global endeavour is extensive. An understanding of Asia underpins the capacity of Australian students to be active and informed citizens working together to build harmonious local, regional and global communities, and build Australia’s social, intellectual and creative capital.

 A community of learners  Experiential learning, Web 2.0 technologies and networks  Intercultural understanding, Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia, citizenship  School improvement

1. People – common ground, common goals, common bond 1. Commitment – personal and professional 2. Systemic Support – Department, school community, school executives, professional networks

Australia-China BRIDGE Project North Sydney Demonstration School, New South Wales and The Primary School Attached to Shandong Normal University, Jinan are applying a creative blend of new Web 2.0 tools and imaginative thinking tasks in the language classroom. The schools have designed innovative 'Thinking Contracts' that incorporate Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, various thinking skills and graphic organisers to engage students and unleash their creative and critical thinking skills. Student tasks are varied and include examples such as a grade four Australian student imagining ways to measure the volume of Daming Lake creatively then videoing his findings and uploading them to the Chinese YouTube - YOUKU, and a grade three Chinese student creating a Storybird digital book in English about imagination.'Thinking Contracts'YOUKUStorybird digital book William Ross State High School, Queensland and Experimental School attached to Capital Normal University, Beijing have developed a bilingual knowledge hunt using multimedia and online resource for their students. Housed on their wiki, the knowledge hunt explores what it is to be an Australian and a Chinese citizen in the 21st century.knowledge hunt

Australia-Korea BRIDGE Project Wynnum State High School, Queensland and Suwon Academy of World Languages, Gyeonggi have connected students across cultures through undertaking various ICT projects. Initially students brainstormed using ‘Know Want Learn’ charts some of the unknowns that they would like answered by their overseas peers. Now, Wynnum’s business studies class and Suwon’s English class are collaborating on a project called ‘Doing Business’. Australian students summarise opinion and vocabulary of business articles and Korean students respond similarly with Korean examples. This provides Korean students the opportunity to further their business vocabulary and practice in Australia as well as further Australian students understanding of business practice in Korea. Students of Bribie Island State High School, Queensland have been involved in a series of collaborative learning activities linking their Indonesian language classroom with an English class at their Korean partner school, Daeseong Boys Middle School in Daejeon. The participating teachers have used innovative ways of linking their curriculum to foster intercultural understanding.collaborative learning activities

Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE Project Leongatha Primary School, Victoria implements weekly Skype sessions with their partner school SDN Pondok Labu focused on language learning and intercultural understanding. In addition to this, Leongatha has committed to funding short visits by seven teachers from their partner school to visit Australia over a three-year period. Visiting teachers will participate in a range of school and community activities.weekly Skype sessions Marlborough Primary School teachers Mel Douglas and Kathy McVeigh have incorporated a range of learning and teaching activities to engage their students with learning about Indonesia, Islam and their partner school, MIN Cempaka Putih. Students in both schools have participated in synchronous and asynchronous learning activities such as student-to-student and teacher-to-student Skype sessions and the exchange of letters and e-cards. Students and the school community at Marlborough learnt much about Islam in Indonesia during the program and continue to engage in related learning activities, such as sending Ramadan cards to students in Indonesia. As a result of participation in the program Marlborough Primary has been engaged with the Indonesian Consulate in Melbourne and were invited to celebrate Independence Day, at which two students won return flights to visit Indonesia.range of learning and teaching activities

Top Tools for Learning

Indonesia BRIDGE Australian Embassy, Jakarta Donny Jatisambogo HP: