Orientation Write-Up

The Fulbright ETA Monthly Highlights is a chance for the ETAs to reflect on a memorable moment in their grant experience. In the August Monthly Highlights, the ETAs detail their first month in Indonesia. Click through to read their stories about their first impressions, first classroom activities, and first extracurricular meetings.

This year marks the 16th year of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program in Indonesia. The 2019-2020 cohort is one of the most diverse groups the program has ever hosted. Furthering the goals of the Fulbright mission, the 28 ETAs are placed in eight provinces across the Indonesian archipelago.

2019 Fulbright ETA Orientation (2)

The ETAs arrived in-county to officially begin their grants on July 28, 2019. Following a security briefing held in Jakarta, the ETAs went to their sites for almost a week to visit their host placements for the first time. On August 4, they returned to West Java to begin their three-week orientation. The orientation focused on three main components: Indonesian language learning; teaching methodology and practice; and tools for navigating life in Indonesia. The orientation was organized by the American programs team at AMINEF and featured a host of guest speakers as well as external facilitators.

Orientation days were long but it was jam-packed with sessions meant to equip ETAs with the information needed to be successful in their grant experience. Topics included lesson planning, the education system in Indonesia, identity, staying mentally healthy in Indonesia, team teaching, and much more. ETAs were fortunate to hear from expert guest speakers such as Dr Irid Agoes (University of Indonesia) who discussed intercultural communication, Endy Bayuni (Senior Editor, The Jakarta Post) who discussed Indonesia as it relates to current politics and economics, and Nava Nuraniyah (the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict) who provided contextual background of the religious landscape of Indonesia. This year’s orientation also featured a cultural adaption focus in which ETAs actively participated in activities to have a better understanding of Indonesian culture. This included ceramics and batik making, observing the Eid Al-Adha religious holiday, as well as celebrating Indonesia’s 74th Independence Day.

For the final week of the orientation, ETAs were joined by their Indonesian co-teachers. Sessions during these days covered setting expectations, team teaching, extracurricular projects, and more. ETAs and co-teachers both responded that a highlight of the orientation was being able to plan and mock teach their first lesson. This activity allowed the teaching pairs to develop their co-teaching relationships and discuss challenges in a monitored environment. At the end of the orientation, ETAs and co-teachers alike reported feeling prepared for the grant year ahead.

2019 Fulbright ETA Orientation (1)

Last Updated: Dec 16, 2019 @ 11:07 am
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