Exploring Indonesia through its rich culture<\/p>\n
Indonesia Kaleidoscope & Go Indonesia CD Rom;
\nBy Helen Agostino and Kathy Kiting;
\nPublished by Curriculum Corporation, Melbourne, 1999 & 2001<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): While the recent presidential visit to Australia
\nmay have begun the fence mending between Indonesia and Australia,
\nit is but a small step in the two countries' relations. Long-
\nlasting friendships need layers of good foundation of mutual
\ntrust, which has to begin with good knowledge of each other's
\npsyche and make-up.<\/p>\n
Where else to start this foundation if not in our schools?
\nFortunately in Australia, there is no shortage of endeavors to
\nteach school children about Indonesia's language and culture. At
\nthe Australian Society for Indonesian Language Educators' (ASILE)
\nconference, on July 10 - July 12, at the University of Melbourne,
\nan updated version of an excellent textbook, Indonesia
\nKaleidoscope, was launched.<\/p>\n
Indonesia Kaleidoscope is published by Curriculum Corporation
\nwith sponsorship from the Asia Education Foundation.<\/p>\n
The authors, Kathy Kiting and Helen Agostino, are both
\nexperienced senior teachers who have traveled widely in Indonesia
\nand are prominent in the Access Asia program of the Asia
\nEducation Foundation, an organization which promotes teaching
\nabout Asia across the curriculum in Australian schools.<\/p>\n
When first published in 1999, Indonesia Kaleidoscope was
\ndesigned to assist teaching and learning about Indonesia in the
\nkey learning areas of English, the arts, and studies of society
\nand environment. Geographically it takes the students to
\ndifferent regions of Indonesia: Irian Jaya, Bali, Sulawesi,
\nKalimantan, Java and Sumatra. Each region is introduced with one
\nof its own folktales, then it expands out to various other
\naspects derived from the folktale.<\/p>\n
In the section about Irian Jaya for instance, the folktale
\nMiripu and the sago palm opens windows to studies about the
\ngeological layout of Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea, the nature
\nof sago and the sago palm, and how it is harvested.<\/p>\n
In the section about Sulawesi, the students learn extensively
\nabout rice after enjoying the folktale The Origin of Rice.<\/p>\n
Everything in the book is well presented and clearly well
\nresearched. Some of the facts are probably new to many
\nIndonesians themselves, such as the fact that scientists and
\narchaeologists believe that Sulawesi was the first place where
\nrice was grown in Indonesia and that it was grown there more than
\n3,000 years ago.<\/p>\n
Each section is equipped with pictorial illustrations and
\nvarious activities, including songs, to enforce what has been
\nlearned. These activities can be chosen and adjusted to suit the
\nstudents' levels and interests. In the section on Kalimantan, for
\ninstance, the folktale is presented in the form of a play, There
\nAre No Tigers in Kalimantan, providing a great deal of potential
\nfor a lot of fun, while at the same time learning some of the
\ntarget language.<\/p>\n
Indonesia Kaleidoscope was originally planned for students of
\nmiddle primary to early secondary schools. It is entirely in
\nEnglish, apart from the Indonesian names of characters, animals
\nand places. However, one of the authors, Kathy Kiting, has been
\nusing the book for Indonesian language teaching just as
\nsuccessfully.<\/p>\n
Indeed the information content and the fun activities provided
\nhave facilitated its use by Indonesian language teachers. This is
\nparticularly the case with this year's addition of the
\naccompanying CD Rom and website, separately called Go Indonesia.
\nIndonesia Kaleidoscope is one of the pioneer textbooks which
\nexploits the increasing use of computers in children's learning
\nactivities.<\/p>\n
The CD Rom and website Go Indonesia are particularly suitable
\nfor students learning the language. It is presented in a travel
\nformat. The students nominate a place in the archipelago they
\nwant to visit, then are taken to the place. They learn common
\nphrases while discovering specific characteristics about the
\nregion. If nothing else, the students are bound to enjoy the
\nmagnificent photographs and picture-graphics depicting various
\nscenes of Indonesian daily life.<\/p>\n
In the climate of internationalization of Indonesian schools,
\nIndonesia Kaleidoscope is certainly ideal material for Indonesian
\nstudents studying English, because the Indonesian cultural
\ncomponents in it will not go astray on our own children.<\/p>\n
--Dewi Anggraeni<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/exploring-indonesia-through-its-rich-culture-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }