Trips and Experiences

Indonesia 2024

Experience Southeast Asia Firsthand: New School in Indonesia and New Opportunities

The first part of the experience in spring 2024 will include three online sessions where NIU pre-service teachers will be paired with Indonesian teachers with whom they will teach while in the country for three weeks in the summer of 2024. Whatever grade level you are preparing to teach at NIU is the grade level you will be teaching in Indonesia (pre-K through 12). Since this is a Pre-K-12 private Islamic school, the students are from the local areas and will provide a real-life experience teaching children of all ages, skill levels and socio-economic status. NIU teachers will get to work with an Indonesian co-teacher to co-plan and co-teach the students.

The second part of the experience will include traveling to and living in Indonesia from July 11 through Aug. 5, 2024. NIU students will receive at no cost: round trip airfare, housing and food. NIU pre-service teachers will stay in a ‘resort’ about 20 minutes from the school. The host school will provide transportation to and from school each morning/afternoon. NIU students are responsible for a valid passport, immunizations, personal spending money and admission costs to select cultural attractions on weekend excursions (approximately $500). From past experiences, we suggest you take two suitcases, one of them empty to be filled up with gifts for when you return.

James Cohen, Ph.D., associate professor of ESL/Bilingual Education from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, will serve as the faculty mentor.

Pre-departure Orientation 

Selected students will be responsible for attending five three-hour Saturday morning sessions where you will receive instruction on the following:

  • An introduction to Indonesian language and culture
  • Pedagogical orientation
  • Perspectives orientation
  • Logistics

Online Sessions

NIU pre-service teachers selected for this trip will participate in three online sessions to know their Indonesian co-teacher and begin making plans for the three weeks of teaching in the country. The purpose of these sessions is for you to get to know the Indonesian teacher, their expectations, their English language proficiency and their curriculum needs and interests. These sessions will take place on Friday evenings from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. These are scheduled to account for the time change as Indonesia is 12 hours ahead of our CST.

Three-week Summer Session

On Thursday, July 11, 2024, we will travel to Al Azhar Yogyakarta Islamic School in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It will take approximately a day and a half to arrive. You will start teaching the following Monday morning and will teach five days a week for approximately four to five hours each day. Your students will be at the grade level you chose to teach (pre-K, elementary, middle school or high school).

Return

Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, will be your last day of teaching. We will fly to Jakarta on Aug. 4 and return to Chicago on Aug. 5.

 


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cedu@niu.edu
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coestudentsuccess@niu.edu
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