The Indonesian education systems has a very similar structure to the US system. There are elementary schools serving grades K-6, Jr. Highs serving grades 7 & 8, and high schools that serve the upper grades. Some schools serve grades K-12 just like the the United States. Moreover, Indonesia has a mix of public and private schools, though religious schools (primarily Islamic schools) can be private or funded by the government. (Above) Students complete salat sunnah (optional prayer) at an Islamic elementary school. Unlike the US, religious schools may be supported by the government. School size also varies just like it does in the United States. School size can range from a few hundred to a few thousand students. Unlike most of Illinois (excluding Chicago), students do not go to school in the neighborhood or district where they live. Rather, they must take competitive entrance exams in order to enter higher achieving or more prestigious schools. High achieving schools generally have high achieving teachers as teachers too must take national certification tests to complete university. If a teacher performs poorly on a test, they may be required to teach in a remote part of the archipelago. Only recently has Indonesia required teachers to complete a university degree. In the recent past (and still for some element-ary schools), teachers only had to complete senior high (high school). This has changed in recent years as Indonesia has pledged to allocate 20% of its GDP to Education. lick here to edit. | During the past two days (June 10th and June 11th) I had the opportunity to visit several schools. Our Jakarta host--the wonderful Sir Charles--has allowed me to observe his school which is privateand K-12. His is a very progressive school with a high achieving student body. I also observed a public Islamic elementary school, and a state-run Middle school. Although there are of course many differences (the class sizes are generally larger, the schools are centered around an open courtyard, and cats roam freely), the big ephiphany is the great similarity between the students, staff, classroom style, and overall feel of Indonesian schools. To be in an Indonesian high school classroom, is to experience in another context much of what I experience every day as a teacher at Naperville Central. The class begins with chat- ing and a bit of commotion, then quickly settles down as the teacher begins. There is light teacher humor. There is the funny kid who pushes the envelop a bit too much until he's redirected. There are those who participate and those who choose to observe or take in. There is a level of jibing and sar- casm that would live well in an most American classrooms. There is kindness and a sometimes a bit of teasing. What occurs in class would also be readily observable in an American classroom. An Indonesian Language class ("Bahasa Indonesian") I observed began with a discussion of poems called Pantuns. The Pantun is a four-line poem that must have exactly 17 words. Lines 1 and 3 must end in the same sound as must lines 2 and 4. Miss Tika (like in daycare, the teacher is known by the first name with a Mr. or Mrs.) the teacher, ("guru" in Indonesia) then gives several examples of a pantuns from Sumatra--one for advice, one for love etc. She checks for understanding, and then asks students to produce their own Pantuns in pairs. Students about writing their poems for about 20 minutes and then begin to share. Exactly like (Above) Students peruse, NCHS yearbook and are loving it!) the US, the products meet the task, taking full advantage of the opportunity for humor, especially when dealing with love. As the poems are read, students laugh along with students, making sure they get the concept and giving some advice and correction here and there. Closing the class means, giving a bit of character advice--perhaps to work hard, to study, or to pray (more about religion in school later). Open the class is often the same, though teachers generally greet each student directly. Most typically, students will take the teacher's hand, and then bow down such as their forehead touches the hand. As in other countries, this is a submissive or respectul act as the touching another's head is tapu (Taboo in English, borrowed from polynesia). Fellow teachers hang out in the Indonesian version of Mr. Wiesbrook's office (called "Mr. Bill" or "Father Bill" in Indonesia). |
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After a discussion of the Indonesian education system, we went to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (literally translated: "Beautiful Indonesia Miniaure Park"). This park was designed by President Suharto's wife after she was inspired by a trip to Disney land. It contains a bit of everything--a zoo, a replica of indonesia built in a pond, museums, temples, and life-size replicas of the houses that exist in the numerous Indonesian provinces. One of the highlights of the mini park was the zoo. Unlike Americans zoos, one is allowed to go right in with some of the animals. Here, I'm filming members of our group petting a Komodo Dragon (native to Komodo Island) in Indonesia. After 28 hours traveling I am finally in Indonesia--specifically Jakarta. Jakarta is a bustling city with lots of motorcycles and scooters zooming precariously through cars and buses. People are very kind. Many signs are posted in English. There are also many mosques--some of which are open-air. My fellow teachers and I arrived at 5pm at our hotel. We will be visiting schools tomorrow and going to a cultural theme park. Follow me on twitter at #sethbrady9 In Los Angeles on way to Hong Kong. Had to give away two NCHS T-shiatsu to make the weight limit. Will be in Jakarta at 1:05 pm on Friday. 28 Hours total! Teachers for Global Classrooms (TGC) is a program unded by the US Department of State to increase global competence among teachers in order to achieve the goal of increased global competence among our nation’s students. Each year the program awards fellowships to teachers throughout the United States. These teachers complete a one semester course focused on developing the tools necessary to bring about greater awareness of global issues and to get
teachers and students to become global citizens poised to act on issues that affect us all. After completing the course, teachers are assigned a host teacher in one of several countries. Teachers then travel to the host country to learn about their culture and education systems. Teachers from the United States observe course, co-teach courses, and develop curricula with their host teachers. They also forge partnerships that continue long after their country visits. As of the writing of this post, (May 31, 2013) it a little less than year ago that I learned I was accepted as fellow in the TGC program. During this past year, my participation in the various aspects of the TGC program radically transformed my perspective on the world and education. The online course brought new challenges, concepts and methods that made me consider globalization, education, and teaching in entirely new ways. As I considered how to practically implement everything I learned from the course, I attended the TGC conference in Washington DC and met several teachers many of whom had already implemented projects with their students that were consistent with the TGC goal of acting on global issues. Though the TGC experience has been the most rewarding professional development experience of my career, in a little less than a weekI’ll be traveling to Indonesia and experiencing another culture and system ofeducation firsthand. |
AuthorSeth Brady teaches Comparative Religions and World Cultures at Naperville Central High School in Naperville, IL Archives
September 2014
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