Exploring Indonesia through its rich culture

Indonesia Kaleidoscope & Go Indonesia CD Rom; By Helen Agostino and Kathy Kiting; Published by Curriculum Corporation, Melbourne, 1999 & 2001

JAKARTA (JP): While the recent presidential visit to Australia may have begun the fence mending between Indonesia and Australia, it is but a small step in the two countries' relations. Long- lasting friendships need layers of good foundation of mutual trust, which has to begin with good knowledge of each other's psyche and make-up.

Where else to start this foundation if not in our schools? Fortunately in Australia, there is no shortage of endeavors to teach school children about Indonesia's language and culture. At the Australian Society for Indonesian Language Educators' (ASILE) conference, on July 10 - July 12, at the University of Melbourne, an updated version of an excellent textbook, Indonesia Kaleidoscope, was launched.

Indonesia Kaleidoscope is published by Curriculum Corporation with sponsorship from the Asia Education Foundation.

The authors, Kathy Kiting and Helen Agostino, are both experienced senior teachers who have traveled widely in Indonesia and are prominent in the Access Asia program of the Asia Education Foundation, an organization which promotes teaching about Asia across the curriculum in Australian schools.

When first published in 1999, Indonesia Kaleidoscope was designed to assist teaching and learning about Indonesia in the key learning areas of English, the arts, and studies of society and environment. Geographically it takes the students to different regions of Indonesia: Irian Jaya, Bali, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Java and Sumatra. Each region is introduced with one of its own folktales, then it expands out to various other aspects derived from the folktale.

In the section about Irian Jaya for instance, the folktale Miripu and the sago palm opens windows to studies about the geological layout of Irian Jaya and Papua New Guinea, the nature of sago and the sago palm, and how it is harvested.

In the section about Sulawesi, the students learn extensively about rice after enjoying the folktale The Origin of Rice.

Everything in the book is well presented and clearly well researched. Some of the facts are probably new to many Indonesians themselves, such as the fact that scientists and archaeologists believe that Sulawesi was the first place where rice was grown in Indonesia and that it was grown there more than 3,000 years ago.

Each section is equipped with pictorial illustrations and various activities, including songs, to enforce what has been learned. These activities can be chosen and adjusted to suit the students' levels and interests. In the section on Kalimantan, for instance, the folktale is presented in the form of a play, There Are No Tigers in Kalimantan, providing a great deal of potential for a lot of fun, while at the same time learning some of the target language.

Indonesia Kaleidoscope was originally planned for students of middle primary to early secondary schools. It is entirely in English, apart from the Indonesian names of characters, animals and places. However, one of the authors, Kathy Kiting, has been using the book for Indonesian language teaching just as successfully.

Indeed the information content and the fun activities provided have facilitated its use by Indonesian language teachers. This is particularly the case with this year's addition of the accompanying CD Rom and website, separately called Go Indonesia. Indonesia Kaleidoscope is one of the pioneer textbooks which exploits the increasing use of computers in children's learning activities.

The CD Rom and website Go Indonesia are particularly suitable for students learning the language. It is presented in a travel format. The students nominate a place in the archipelago they want to visit, then are taken to the place. They learn common phrases while discovering specific characteristics about the region. If nothing else, the students are bound to enjoy the magnificent photographs and picture-graphics depicting various scenes of Indonesian daily life.

In the climate of internationalization of Indonesian schools, Indonesia Kaleidoscope is certainly ideal material for Indonesian students studying English, because the Indonesian cultural components in it will not go astray on our own children.

--Dewi Anggraeni