Australia-Asia BRIDGE School Partnerships Building Relationships through Intercultural Dialogue and Growing Engagement

 103 school-to-school partnerships  206 schools from Australia, China, Indonesia and South Korea  340 teachers directly engaged  Blended model of face-to-face and virtual partnership activity  Unique scale and design Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE school partnerships

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

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

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

Is it a Success?…  Scope of partnerships  Nature of partnership activity  Support for specific learning areas  Impact on school community  Student learning Are the success measures shared by partner schools?

Show me sustainability!... “…sustainability should be seen in terms of the relationship culture of the organisation, rather than a particular relationship… For longer term sustainability, school-business relationships need to be embedded in and supported by the policies, programs, planning and reporting processes and operational requirements within which the school operates”. Business-School Connections Roundtable Discussion Paper, DEEWR, 2010

What schools need: Support, Support, Support…  Professional learning  Networks  Access  Acknowledgement  Executive leadership

Considerations Systems  From little things, big things grow  Purpose Schools  Readiness  Purpose Teachers and students  Intercultural understanding  Patience