The Department of Education and Training at the Australian Embassy in Seoul organised the first Australia-Korea School Linkages Workshop on 23 September 2016 with more than 100 attendees including teachers, principals and government officials from Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education.
The purpose of the workshop was to bring together the full range of existing Australia-Korea school collaboration programs and showcase them to key Korean stakeholders to promote innovation and encourage further engagement between Australian and Korean schools. The workshop provided a valuable networking opportunity for school staff and education officials from both countries.
The workshop opened with welcoming remarks from Ravi Kewalram, Chargé d’Affaires at the Australian Embassy Seoul and Dr Younggon Kim, Director General of the International Cooperation Bureau at the Korean Ministry of Education. The introductory message was delivered by Education and Science Counsellor Paul Harris.
Over five sessions, the workshop showcased different school partnership models and programs:
1. The Australia-Korea ConnecXion (AKC) project by the University of New England
2. Global LYNCs: Victoria-Daegu School Partnership by the Victoria State Government Department of Education and Training and Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education
3. The BRIDGE Program by the Asia Education Foundation (AEF) at the University of Melbourne
4. Teaching Abroad for Global Competency by the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) under the auspices of UNESCO, and
5. The Intercultural STEAM Program (ISP) by Macquarie University.
Each project coordinator explained their program followed by video links and testimonials from Korean teachers to share their experiences and success stories.
The workshop was greatly supported by Australian participants from the University of New England, Macquarie University, AEF and the Sydney Opera House. Other representatives from Australian organisations such as the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), the Museum of Human Disease in the School of Medical Sciences at the University of New South Wales, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, and the Australian National Maritime Museum participated at the workshop via video conferencing to greet Korean audiences and to introduce their involvement in school linkages.
The workshop ended successfully with positive feedback from Korean attendees. The workshop provided the opportunity to increase the awareness of existing school linkages programs and encourage further engagement between Australian and Korean schools.