Indonesian children benefit from international collaboration

The Early Childhood Education department at Vancouver Island University (VIU) is making a positive difference in children’s lives not only in Canada, but also on the other side of the world.

VIU faculty helped Widya Mandala Catholic University in Surabaya, Indonesia develop new curriculum for teachers and childcare workers.

The initiative, part of a five-year collaborative project funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), also established standardized training and certification for early childhood educators in preschool and daycare centres throughout Indonesia.

“The goal (of the project) was to improve the delivery of early childhood education training in Indonesia that blends western ideas with the traditional needs of Indonesian families,” said VIU faculty member Linda McDonell.

Six new courses in early childhood education are now taught at the Indonesian university, including a culturally relevant student practicum. As well, Indonesian faculty established a model daycare which combines western philosophies about child care and Indonesian approaches. The daycare is used as a teaching and learning tool by faculty and students.

One of the new concepts integrated into Indonesian early childhood education is the importance of play in learning. Unlike Canadian classrooms, where play is part of learning and children are encouraged to share their ideas, education in Indonesia has traditionally followed a more formal approach.

“My first time in Indonesia I saw environments where children as young as three and four years old were sitting in rows as the teacher attempted to teach,” said McDonell. “The learning was more highly structured around reading, writing and arithmetic with less emphasis on social development. Over time, we have seen this change with some of the Indonesian programs using a more play-focused approach – similar to what we see in Canada.”

Despite the differences, the collaboration revealed that educators in both countries share similar values. They want good training for preschool educators, and education which gives children the best start in life.

“With good quality early childhood education, we ensure children grow more optimally and we see positive impacts later in life,” added VIU faculty member Bev Revin. “The Indonesians noted Western children appear more independent than Indonesian children, perhaps because North American culture encourages independence and Indonesian culture values interdependence.

“Not only have we had a positive impact on the way early childhood education is taught in Indonesia, we have learned a great deal ourselves,” Revin said. “The learning that took place was phenomenal.”

The five year project ended recently with an international conference on Child and Youth Development at the Indonesian university. The Indonesian Director of the Ministry of Early Childhood Education praised the collaboration and said the curriculum will be used as early childhood education training is developed across the country.

“For me personally, involvement in this project has been a career highlight – truly a life-changing experience,” said Revin, who retires from VIU in December.

McDonell agrees the personal and professional impact of the project is profound. “You discover that things you’ve known and understood to be true are not true for everyone,” she said. “Much of what you believe and value is shifted. You start to look at things differently and examine your responses.”

The collaborative project began in 2000 with VIU leading a one-month field school to Indonesia. The following year, Widya Mandala’s vice-rector Veronica Diptoadi and VIU’s McDonell and Lynn Traynor began developing the new curriculum.

The group managed a few exchange visits between 2000 and 2004, but was hampered by budget constraints. In 2005, the project received a $400,000 CIDA grant, which allowed for a formal launch in April 2005. Indonesian faculty visited Canada six times in five years, and groups of VIU students and faculty from Nursing, Early Childhood Education and Child and Youth Care visited Indonesia in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Both McDonell and Revin are optimistic they will secure funding to continue student exchanges to Indonesia.

“It was a rich, interdisciplinary and cross-cultural experience for everyone,” said Revin. “Many of our graduates work in the field and still talk about their exchange experiences. Their assumptions were challenged, and they have a new appreciation for the incredible life they have here in Canada, and are grateful for new ways of thinking. We’d love for future VIU students to enjoy a similar experience.”