From August 26 to September 13, twenty-one ETAs successfully joined an intensive orientation program at Universitas Kristen Satya Wacana (UKSW) in Salatiga, Central Java.
These weeks were spent immersing the ETAs in Bahasa Indonesia training, teaching methodologies, tips for adapting to Indonesian culture, and (their favorite) briefings on program policies. ETA language classes were facilitated by UKSW’s Language Training Center (LTC). Session topics included cross-cultural understanding, Indonesian religious and political history, physical and mental health, and the Indonesian education system. Orientation was also supported by two cultural excursions hosted by UKSW LTC.
We had the pleasure of inviting several distinguished speakers to deliver Orientation material this year, many of them in the comfort of their own home, among others: Dr. Calvin Mali, associate professor in the Master’s Program in English Language Education at UKSW; Dr. Izak Lattu, the Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Professor of Theology and Interreligious Studies at UKSW; Dr. Neny Isharyanti, an associate professor and the department head of the Master’s Program in English Language Education at UKSW; Dr. Petsy Ismoyo, an assistant professor of International Relations and Director of the ASEAN Study Center at UKSW; and Dr. Sumanto Al Qurtuby, the co-founder and chairman of the Center for the Study of Religion and Christian-Muslim Relations, a Center of Excellence Initiative at UKSW.
During the final week of this year’s orientation, the ETAs were joined by one representative teacher from each of their schools to complete joint workshops in pedagogy and team teaching. ETAs and their co-teachers took their first steps in the long journey of navigating cultural nuances and language barriers to successfully co-teach and create extracurricular projects, supporting their students and building international bridges. ETAs and the teachers actively discuss ideas on Community Engagement Projects and the annual WORDS Competition. ETAs and teachers were also given a chance to develop a complete lesson plan and delivering it live to a ‘classroom’ of their peers.
The ETAs especially valued their culturally immersive language experience with UKSW LTC, and the Co-Teachers expressed their appreciation for the chance to practice mock-teaching and lesson planning before returning to site with their new ETA partner.
Upon the successful completion of the intensive Orientation program, the ETAs and their co-teachers began the next phase of their journey, travelling back to site to begin school activities on September 14th.
