Bridging Cultures: Empowering BIPA Educators in Australia through Local Indonesian Wisdom Training
Keywords:
Bridging Cultures, Indonesian Wisdom, Empowering BIPA , TrainingAbstract
Indonesian Foreign Speakers (BIPA) teachers in Australia have diverse educational backgrounds, not limited to bachelor's or master's degrees in Indonesian language instruction. However, it encompasses many subjects, such as linguistics and even sociology. Furthermore, not all of them originate from Indonesia; they are indigenous Australians who have mastered Indonesian. This activity aimed to impart information and skills rooted in indigenous Indonesian wisdom to train BIPA instructors in Australia. This ensured they had the resources to teach the Indonesian language while preserving the traditional Indonesian culture. The approach to conducting community service activities was to provide training and hands-on instruction through in-person mentorship. The event occurred over two days at the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra, Australia. On the initial day, the teachers familiarised themselves with the topic, and the subsequent day involved a teaching practice exercise centred around local wisdom. Upon completion of this activity, teachers will possess the proficiency to implement BIPA learning by utilising local information that is both engaging and understandable. Language acquisition is inherently intertwined with local culture and knowledge, which serve as a contextual foundation.