IALF News - Newsletter for the Indonesia Australia Language Foundation

Teaching and Cooking in Western Australia

Muchsan from IALF Surabaya recently returned to Surabaya after spending one month in Western Australia. He was on a reciprocal teacher visit program between the IALF and the Western Australia Indonesian Language Teachers Association (WILTA).

Muchsan spent his first week at Peter Moyer Anglican School in the northern suburb of Perth and worked together with Ashley Hosken an Indonesian and SOSE (Studies of Society and The Environment) teacher. He was assisting the teachers of Indonesian there and helped the students from years 6 to 12. The students enjoyed practising their Indonesian language skills with a native speaker of Indonesian.

In week two, he went south to Scotch College – a private boys’ school in Perth where he worked with Lyn Jenkins and Yvette Ridderhof. The students had the opportunity to learn how to make ketupat and how to get dressed in Indonesian traditional clothes. At the weekend Muchsan facilitated a workshop, which guided teachers through cooking the East Javanese specialty dishes of kolak and rujak manis: he focussed on how teachers could use cooking as both a language learning exercise as well as a cross-cultural activity.

Muchsan with students at Capel Primary School

Muchsan using a cooking demo as part of language learning

In week three, he visited some primary schools in Bunbury. He shared ideas and language teaching methods with Marian Kuswardiyanto and David Ball at South Bunbury Primary School where he did a talk show, video linked to Withers Primary School and Carey Park Primary School. He also visited Bunbury Senior High School.

Muchsan spent his final week in Western Australia at Capel Primary School in Capel with Michelle Vos and at Cornerstone Christian College in Busselton with Jill Porter. At Capel Primary school he participated in cooking a school lunch – Indonesian chicken satay and fried rice. The proceeds from the sale of the food were donated to schools in Bali. At Cornerstone Christian College Muchsan
found that many students enjoyed playing Indonesian traditional games, especially congklak/dakon. Before returning to Indonesia, Muchsan was lucky to experience an adventurous treetop walk in Walpole, WA.

Preparing for study in New Zealand

from left, IALF teacher Philip Rees, Baiq Dewi Krisnayanti and Parman Parakkasi Two students, Parman Parakkasi and Baiq Dewi Krisnayanti, are currently attending a pre-departure EAP program at IALF Surabaya as a requirement for their scholarships funded by New Zealand aid. The aim of the program is to prepare the students for the academic and social demands of studying and living in New Zealand as well as to enable them to achieve an IELTS overall band score of 6.5. They will join other Indonesian students sponsored by the New Zealand aid program who have already begun their postgraduate programs.

Both students are specialists in the field of environmental management. They are keen to conduct research and are hoping that postgraduate study in New Zealand will add to their understanding of issues in coastal and forest management. A better understanding of these issues will assist them to advise fishermen, fish farmers, and general farmers on how to improve their incomes while maintaining the environment. It will also be helpful in their work on managing coastal and forest areas wisely in their hometowns of Palu, in Central Sulawesi and Mataram in Lombok, West Nusatenggara.

Indonesia Australia Language Foundation IALF Language Centres in Indonesia:
Jakarta Sentra Mulia Building, Ground Floor Jl Rasuna Said Kav X-6 No. 8 Jakarta 12940 Tel. (62-21) 521-3350 Fax (62-21) 521-3349 ialfjkt@ialf.edu	Surabaya Jalan Sumatera No. 49 Surabaya 60281 East Java Tel. (62-31) 502-6400 Fax (62-31) 502-6408 ialfsby@ialf.edu	Bali Jalan Raya Sesetan 190 Denpasar Bali 80223 Tel. (62-361) 225-243 Fax (62-361) 263-509 ialfbali@ialf.edu