Students from All Over The USA Learn and Practice Bahasa Indonesia Virtually with ICONE During the Pandemic
Massachusetts, 11/23/2020—As COVID-19 cases continue to soar, ICONE has completely adapted to full live online class sessions for its Bahasa Indonesia Fall 2020 semester. Students from all over the USA and various backgrounds have jumped into the opportunity to learn and practice the Indonesian language from the comfort and safety of their homes. And after a well-structured, engaging, and fun 10-week online class session, our Beginner and Intermediate level students have successfully completed the course and are ready to interact more effectively with their Indonesian family members, friends, and colleagues.
Led by ICONE's native and experienced instructor Tia Wulansari, sessions were designed in such a way so that students can actively engage with their fellow students as well as the instructor utilizing multiple online learning tools in a variety of real-life settings. Unlike those of the previous in-person classes, the students were required to watch a pre-recorded grammar and vocabulary video and did an online exercise before each lesson via Book Widget. During the live session through Zoom, students then reviewed the materials from the video, practiced writing and speaking with the instructor, and used the Kahoot website for interactive quizzes.
In addition to students from different New England states, this semester was also special because of students participating all the way from California, Seattle, Kentucky, and Virginia. Starting with very little knowledge and skills of the language, the Beginner level students ended the semester by being able to compose complex sentences after practicing a lot on vocabularies in the right grammar patterns. Students even set up a study group to help them practice more together outside class sessions - proof of how eager they were in learning Bahasa Indonesia wholeheartedly.
As for this semester's Intermediate level students, since many of them have had experience living or working in Indonesia, most students had pretty strong language proficiency. For the instructor, it felt almost like teaching an Advanced level course. These Intermediate students spent many sessions learning about the prefixes and suffixes of Bahasa Indonesia, and comparing and contrasting the informal and formal usage of the language. It was not always an easy assignment, but it was very interesting and valuable exposure to the language.
Both Beginner and Intermediate level online classes ended with a fun Jeopardy-like game as a way to review what they have learned throughout the semester. Every student was able to answer all the questions, which proved the effectiveness of their virtual learning. We applaud each of these fabulous and enthusiastic students for all their hard work. With the skills they all acquired this semester, we are confident that they can now speak and listen better in Bahasa Indonesia.
In their exit reviews, students highlighted how much they have gained necessary language skills from the well-thought balance in the learning efforts required from their sessions. And to add to that, being able to practice speaking and listening with an instructor who was very encouraging and helpful made the whole learning experience worthwhile. Students also appreciate the different aspects of Indonesian culture embedded in the course through videos, pictures, articles, and class discussions.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the making of ICONE's Fall 2020 Bahasa Indonesia course including the Indonesian Education and Cultural Attaché, Prof. Popy Rufaidah, and her team at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Washington DC, ICONE's President Olla Chas, Treasurer Trisia Bantacut, and ICONE's Educational and Cultural Programs Director Dhanni Setyaning. Bersama, kita bisa!