Expanding Horizons through Teaching Practice Overseas

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After extended periods of canceled and postponed PBI UII’s programs due to COVID-19 restrictions, it is a relief that the programs are finally continued after there are no COVID-19 restrictions. PBI UII still withstands its programs; one of them is “International Teaching Practice” as a commitment to supporting the students’ professional development to become educators at the international level.

In 2023, PBI UII sends off 15 students to Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Philippines. They will be deployed in schools or universities to have teaching practice. Students fully prepared throughout the deployment get training from remarkable trainers aligned with their program placement.

Indra Waskita, one of the ITP 2023 awardees, expressed his gratitude for snatching the opportunity to teach in Thailand, “Alhamdulillah, I was extremely happy and thrilled when I was selected as one of the delegates to go abroad to teach.” He made tremendous efforts to ensure he could snatch the opportunity, “I was occupied with several trainings for a competition, so I had to manage my time wisely for both the Indonesian Drum Corps Association (IDCA) competition and the International Teaching Practice program.”

Additionally, PBI UII held several trainings to support the delegates’ teaching practice in their respective countries. For Indra, who is familiar with the Thailand language because he learned about it during the lockdown due to the pandemic, gained several insights from the workshop on Thailand Language, “I found new perspectives from Miss Satwika, our trainer of Thai Language Survival Workshop. She taught the Thai script with the Latin alphabet, which is different from my experience; I previously studied it with the Thai alphabet.” The workshop was held twice and lasted two hours respectively on different days. However, the training was conducted hybrid because Miss Satwika lived in Thailand, Indra, including the participants, had a great time learning about Thailand, especially when Miss Satwika asked them to speak in Thailand.

There has been a transformation in the program’s deployment from the past to the present. Previously, PBI UII only sent students to Australia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Now, PBI UII can send more students, and new countries have been added to the list, namely Vietnam and Malaysia. The vision to provide international exposure has grown stronger within PBI UII, as a global perspective is considered crucial for educators. PBI UII hopes to support students’ future endeavors through the establishment and continued pursuit of International Teaching Practice, enabling them to become future educators who will lead the way with open minds and hearts.

Written by Chintya Arlita

Chasing Dreams to South Korea: Meet Our GKS Awardee

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Nindy Fachuli Jannah, an alumnus of the English Language Education Department Universitas Islam Indonesia, has been awarded to pursue a Master’s Degree by South Korea’s prestigious scholarship called Global Korea Scholarship (GKS). Global Korea Scholarship is a scholarship program for international students to elevate international education exchange and deepen mutual friendship between Korea and participating countries. 

Nindy was granted this scholarship for her outstanding academic merit and non-academic performances in a community. Nindy will study for a Master of Education at Kongju University in Gongju, South Korea. She will get a fully funded scholarship that covers tuition fees, living expenses, and accommodations throughout her study. 

It is not solely lucky for Nindy to get this scholarship. She planned and seized every opportunity along the way. She held several leadership roles, such as head of study and research division that organized many projects, workshops, webinars, and volunteer activities; member of Central Language Improvement (CLI); facilitator during online learning. 

“Through those activities, I learned to manage myself and others, to be a good leader, to solve problems, work together as a team, lead a team, develop communication skills, and be a good leader that positively impacts others.”

Not stopping there, Nindy is passionate about carrying out community services due to her dedication to the surrounding society. She became a mentor in speaking training for senior high school students and joined Asia Pacific Youth SDGs Summit 2021 program to present her voice toward equal education. 

“Here, I do a project to socialize society about education. I presented that project in front of international audiences.”

Nindy also participated in the International Youth Connect: South Korea to communicate with others. She also gained 2nd place in the Korea E-Course Program in collaboration with Dankook University, which focuses on promoting Indonesian culture in Korea. 

“From those experiences, I learned many things and broadened my knowledge, experiences, and skills at the international level. Also, I can put all of my immersive experiences to upgrading my portfolio because it naturally links to my expertise in education.” 

Here are some tips and tricks from Nindy for you if you want to take the same pathway as her:

  1. Maintaining your GPA is essential. 
  2. Take part in both academic and non-academic activities. 
  3. Take an IELTS/TOEFL IBT/TOEIC (depends on your destination country)
  4. Searching for information you needed to apply for a scholarship abroad. 
  5. Prepare administrative documents way before its due (study plan, recommendation letters, personal statement, etc.).
  6. Apply and pray. 

Written by Ninik Tri Astutik

The Best Time Management Application or Planner

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Source:Pixabay.com

Author: Luthfia Mariatul Fitriani

 

One of the definitions of time management is achieving one’s key goals in life by putting aside pointless activities that take up a lot of time. In other words, time management can be interpreted by planning, organizing, tightening and managing time.

 

Time is one of the work resources that must be managed properly and effectively. The purpose of this time management is the productivity ratio of output and input.

 

You can effortlessly live life if you have a good time management system in place. Everything is properly organized, therefore the only thing left to do is optimize the implementation.

 

Keep in mind that everyone has a variety of ways to help his life be more organized. Some are digital-based and some are non-digital. It all comes back to you, whether you can use digital or not.

 

Below are examples of applications that can help manage your life:

 

1. Notion

Notion is a workspace or note-taking application, wikis, tasks and databases. Notion has an attractive and easy-to-use interface. There are many features in this application, such as tables, timeline, kanban board, calendar and to-do list.

 

2. Trello

This app is perfect for managing team projects. Trello is famous for its attractive and easy-to-see kanban boards. Project assignments, deadlines, progress status can be added with your friends, so everyone knows the program.

 

3. Miro

Although Miro has fewer features than other applications, it has a board-like interface, so you can add sticky notes. In addition, in this application you can add links, view documents and add photos.

 

4. ClickUp

This application is suitable for your project management. ClickUp has a status feature that allows you to place a completed task, time spent, and compare with other tasks. ClickUp has priority, goals, and comments features that you and your team can use.

 

5. Asana

Asana is an application for cool work management. This application is suitable for managing task lists and project lists. In addition, Asana has a collaboration feature with your friends. Asana also uses an attractive appearance but is simple and easy to set up.

 

6.Google Calendar.

Surely this application is already booming in your ears. Although this application is simple, it is very suitable for task management. This application features tasks, events, and reminders.

 

In addition, this application is also connected to Google Meet, so you can schedule meetings through this Google Calendar. You can use the reminder feature because a notification will appear on your device.

 

7. LucidChart

This application is different from other applications, LucidChart is a diagramming platform that helps you create a systematic flow of thought. This application does not have a task management feature like other applications. Commonly used diagrams are flowcharts or org charts. In addition, this application has the feature of collaboration with your friends.

 

Those are 7 applications that can help in your life management. It is hoped that with this application, your life is more organized and you are more excited. Good luck!

Tips for Doing Tasks in the Style of a High Achievers

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Source: Pixabay.com

Author: Luthfia Mariatul Fitriani

 

The High Achievers Work System refers to accomplishing a task by defining goals and working hard to reach those goals. This work system is usually carried out by ambitious people. If you want a work system like this, then you must be disciplined and have a strong personal drive to achieve certain goals.

 

People who work with this system are usually easy to take on responsibilities and naturally show leadership qualities. Often also helps his friend’s work in the team.

 

Please note, internal locus of control is one of the principles of people who work with this system. In other words, this person has the belief that only he or she is fully responsible for what happens within themselves.

 

Another unavoidable fact is that these High Achievers are perfectionists in all they do. They will find it difficult to ask for help from others,since they believe no one can perform as effectively as he can. People with this system are people who excel in terms of ability and responsibility.

 

So, you have to be careful in managing these High Achievers. The following are tips for doing assignments in the style of High Achievers:

 

1. Leave the word “bear”

You may have noticed that, when you are about to do something, you still have a procrastinating mentality. “Ah later, ah bear” words like these that usually haunt you. In a matter of 1 to 5 try you have to immediately do your task. This will minimize procrastination.

 

2. Delegating what to do alone, which to ask for help

Not all tasks have to be done alone, sometimes it would be better if done with the help of others. This can be applied through daily notes/to-do-lists, in order to control daily activities.

 

3. Stick to the simple system

With so many productivity systems to choose from, just choose simple management to keep track of your tasks. You can use Notion, Google Calendar and so on.

 

4. Learn to do everything quickly

Some people do have problems if they do something that requires quick control. You might begin by assigning a deadline to each of your tasks in order to be trained. Although it will be forced upon you, you will eventually become accustomed to time management.

 

5.Creative VS Administrative Work Balance

Please note, there are 2 kinds of division of tasks: creatives (which requires exploration of ideas) and critical thinking as well as administrative tasks (which is enjoyable and not challenging). In reality, these two things must be in balance. In doing creative work, you choose where the brain time works most effectively. While administrative work is completed when the brain works is relaxed.

 

You can apply these tips from now on. Hopefully useful and can make yourself a better worker.

6 Tips for Improving Your Public Speaking Skills

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Source: Pixabay.com

Author: Luthfia Mariatul Fitriani

 

You’re probably familiar with the term “Public Speaking”. This is a skill that can be mastered with frequent practice. Public Speaking is a form of verbal communication that is delivered in front of the general public in detail and coherently. In public speaking, you are required to practice effectively so that the delivery is not out of the ordinary and in line with the purpose of the conversation.

 

Not everyone is comfortable speaking in public. Some people may experience stage fright and faint when they have to speak in public. This can be overcome with consistent practice. Once you get into the habit of practicing, you’re more likely to be able to control yourself when you speak in public.

 

The following are tips that you should know in public speaking:

 

1. Write down important points and convey spontaneously

You can write down small notes that only contain important material points. In making these notes, do not let you write a long narrative. It can be explained naturally and spontaneously, because by dealing with the conversation, it is attempted not to look stiff. It is enough to write a few important points. This will help you remember what you are going to say so you don’t get blank in the middle of the conversation. Keep in mind the order of the points that you will convey.

 

2. Deepen Interaction with Your Audience

You should try to keep your communication alive even when you are speaking in front of many people. Because this also affects your confidence and spirit. You can include a few brief questions for the audience, to encourage them to interact with you. You can also include jokes that are still ethical so that they do not become too stiff. The audience will be interested in the topic of conversation, if you can attentively interact with them.

 

3. Speak clearly and with a different intonation

Before you speak in public, it would be better if you practice first. You can ask friends for help to assess speech style, appearance, intonation, and so on. The intonation when speaking is varied so as not to bore the audience. Each word, you must pronounce it loud and clear so that the material can be conveyed well.

 

4. Utilize body language and eye contact

You can use your body language, especially your hands, to emphasize the material presented. But don’t let your hands move too much, because it can distract the audience. What needs to be noted is, you must pay close attention to the eye contact of the audience. This is so you can control the focus of the audience. If you lose control, then your conversation will go to waste, not being noticed by the audience.

 

5. Avoid the words “emmmm” or “ehhhh”

If you can adjust the pause, for example slow or fast. Then you can set the control of the conversation to be delivered. Because most of them are confused about what to say, so they say “emmm/ehh” that shouldn’t be said. If these words come out, then your level of professionalism will decrease. For example, you need time to think, try not to say the words above.

 

6. Get rid of pressure and self-confidence

It is okay to feel nervous and anxious. Surely almost everyone has felt this way, when speaking in public, but don’t let your nerves and worry get the better of you. In public, you have to show good self-confidence. You don’t have to be concerned about making mistakes, because humans are nature to make mistakes. Therefore, calm yourself and convey as comfortably as possible.

 

Those are 6 tips in public speaking that you should know. Practicing earnestly will help your public speaking optimally. Hope it is useful.

4 Recommended Books on Self-Development

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Source: Pixabay.com

Author: Luthfia Mariatul Fitriani

 

In life, there are many activities with different goals. There are those who chase their dreams, pursue jobs, fulfill their calling in life by serving others and so on. It’s a shame, if you pass the day just passing the time, without any particular good intentions.

 

In fact, humans compile with the environment for 2 reasons: the need to control the environment and maintain its survival. Therefore, it must be balanced with optimal self-development.

 

Especially if you are a student, you must immediately develop yourself well. For example, by participating in activities that are linear with ideals, participating in programs that are beneficial to oneself and others, and actively participating in any activities and contributions for the realization of a better self. If students’ self-development has found a common thread, then students will easily pursue future careers.

 

On the other hand, there is a need to control the environment, so humans will be encouraged to continue to learn and develop themselves. Not a few people who feel anxious when it is difficult to manage in self-development. Therefore, let’s try to read some of the recommended books below to learn about self-development:

 

1.  The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This book gives you vitamins on building good habits. Therefore, indirectly, your bad habits will be eroded, as you read and understand this book. As the saying goes, “good things don’t come by themselves.” In this book, it is stated that there are 7 human habits that can be practiced so that life can be more productive and effective. When viewed broadly, it is divided into 3 groups, namely habits related to oneself, habits related to other people, and habits to develop self-skills.

 

2. Grit

This book explains that the key to success is not talent, but grit: a combination of passion and persistence. Keep in mind that grit is a combination of desire and fighting power to achieve long-term goals. So you must have full effort and passion in this life. Usually people who have full grit will be able to maintain enthusiasm and motivation in the long term, even though failures and difficulties continue to hit.

 

3. The Power of Habit

This book contains self-control that can change your mindset in responding to a situation. Because your habits will affect yourself and others. This book discusses thoroughly about the enormity of habit. In addition, this book discusses the reasons for forming habits, the elements of habits, and how to change habits within yourself. This book teaches you to change old habits into new habits for your success in life.

 

4. Don’t Turn a Small Problem into a Big Problem.

You will be presented with a way not to worry about small things and how to control yourself when faced with problems. In this book, learn a new perspective or perspective on a problem in life so it doesn’t interfere with your life. This book is perfect for people who easily panic when facing problems as well as business people who want to improve their self-control skills. There are many interesting things you will learn in this book, for example: the reasons why you have to come to terms with imperfection, how to control yourself and to be more patient.

 

That’s the recommendation of a book about self-development. Please read immediately and hopefully it will be useful. Because the process of improving yourself is certainly not easy. Besides having a good partner, you need to replenish your knowledge by reading books.

Enhance the Quality of Education: An Inspiring Story from Kampus Mengajar Awardee

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An inspiring story came from one of the awardees Kampus Mengajar organised by the Indonesian Ministry of Education, this program is part of Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program. The activity of this program is a bridge for students to gain insights beyond the campus as well as to directly contribute to the community.

 

Her name is Yola Ameliawati Agustin, she is a final year student of the English Language Education Department at Universitas Islam Indonesia. Yola had the opportunity to become a teacher assistant and contribute to Sekolah Dasar Negeri (SDN) Giriharjo, Pakem, Sleman, Yogyakarta Region for one semester. The first thing she did in Kampus Mengajar activities was to make direct observations at the target location with his fellow awardees from various backgrounds of majors. Yola felt very happy to be collaborating with them in solving school-related problems. During the activity, Yola was responsible for providing assistance to teachers. In addition, she also handles the unit work programs that previously have been made, including redesigning libraries, archiving library books (still in process), making Google Drive for the target school, and digitizing books (learning modules and reading books from the Ministry of Education and Culture).

 

 

Yola and her Kampus Mengajar fellow are not only available to teach at the school where they are placed, but also to become teacher collaborators to implement emergency curriculum or additional activities that help students in improving literacy and numeracy learning, and adapting technology for students in elementary school. Yola and her colleagues play an important role in improving the quality of the target schools from all aspects, ranging from administration aspect, technology, education, and many more. Besides, this program is also a place of devotion for Yola to get the experience and dynamics of teaching and learning directly in the field, where she is able to develop interpersonal skills, leadership, problem solving, and creativity. Another benefit that she gets from this program is credit recognition from the study program for the teaching assistance program she is participating in.

 

Yola hopes that this activity is not the end for her in doing great things, for the future she will continue to dedicate herself to doing other social activities related to education. Moreover, she has contributed many positive impacts while participating in these activities. In fact, she was increasingly able to see educational issues in Indonesia either from direct activities or through stories from her Kampus Mengajar friends in other areas. This makes Yola even more motivated to take part in improving the quality of education in Indonesia. Yola once said “if you join Kampus Mengajar Program, you will definitely feel a lot of benefits,” hence do not miss any opportunities and be a part of the next Kampus Mengajar awardee.

 

From UII to UC Davis: An Incredible Story from IISMA Awardee in America

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An inspiring story comes from Adisa Tiara Kinasihing Ramadhan, an English Language Education Student batch 2019 in Universitas Islam Indonesia. She has become a recipient of the Indonesian International Student Mobility Awards (IISMA) scholarship organized by the Indonesian Ministry of Education; it is part of Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) program. IISMA provides opportunities for students from various universities in Indonesia to participate in the learning and self-development process at several world reputable universities. This program aims to improve knowledge and skills, exchange ideas and culture, build friendships with students, teachers, and the general public in the countries where students carry out the program. Furthermore, this program also helps to prepare qualified university graduates to be open-minded, gain experience and global knowledge and be ready to face the industrial revolution 4.0 and society 5.0.

 

Adisa has the opportunity to attend lectures for one semester at the University of California Davis (UC Davis). It’s her first time setting foot on American land; Adisa is totally happy because this is her first experience abroad. While studying on campus, she feels many differences between the way and time of studying in Indonesia and America. At UC Davis, she has classes in the evening from 18.00-20.00 EST, but at UII, she only attends lectures in the morning until the afternoon. In addition, most of the assignments at UC Davis are individual work, in contrast to the PBI UII assignments, which are mostly done in teams.

 

 

Outside of class hours, Adisa travels with her homestay friends and friends from other countries, and she also participates in fencing club extracurricular activities that she can’t find at UII. Besides having the opportunity to study abroad, she also has the opportunity to choose courses beyond her major in Indonesia. Some of the subjects she has taken are Presentation, Communication, and Collaboration Skills, English Structures and Strategies in Academic Writing,  Science, Technology, and Society, Food and American Culture, and cognitive neuroscience.

 

Another benefit that she gets from this program is credit recognition from the study program. Adisa hopes that from this IISMA program she can become a more open-minded person when she returns to Indonesia, inspire others to be able to achieve their dreams, and make changes around her. She also advises the next IISMA candidate to prepare all requirements ahead of time, so that when the program opens, it will be easy for them to become the next IISMA scholarship recipient. Hence, “Don’t give up and don’t lose hope,” said Adisa. (LA)

The Land of Two Continents Journey: a story of IISMA awardee in Turkey

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Experiencing education abroad is the dream of almost every person because apart from gaining insight, we can achieve life lessons in social and expand the networks. An interesting story came from an IISMA scholarship awardee; she is an English Language Education student of Universitas Islam Indonesia batch 2018, her name is Mehrunisa Ani Mufti.

 

Meher was thrilled and excited to get the opportunity to study for one semester at Middle East Technical University (METU), Turkey. However, when she came to Turkey, she struggled with the cold weather, but she became used to it over time. Additionally, she was nervous when she appeared at METU directly because she took offline courses and met friends in class after two years of online learning. Some courses she took while at METU are culture and psychology, culturally responsive in early childhood education, which was taught face-to-face, and maternal and children health taught online.

 

Her daily activities are attending lectures at METU. Still, if there were no classes, she read books, sports, culinary hunting, and conducted a discussion with Turkish Muslim friends. Three weeks ago, she practiced traditional dance to show at the Indonesian exhibition, one of IISMA’s events. Besides, she joins Taekwondo extracurricular, but it has not started, so she spends the time reading books and socialising with Turkish friends.

 

 

Her life in Turkey taught about adaptability, communication and tolerance because during her life in the dormitory with two Turks and a neighbor room was Spanish and Dutch. In addition, outside of lectures, she learned about Islamic history in Turkey by visiting Anitkabir (Mustafa Kemal Attaturk’s grave), Ankara Castle, Anatolian museum, Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and Safranbolu.

 

Finally, Mehr hopes to apply the knowledge gained during her lectures in Turkey to become a good teacher. She also advised students who will participate in the IISMA program to maintain a good quality of learning during college because the GPA will be considered in passing the awardee. In addition, it is also necessary to learn English, write essays in English because writing skills will be tested when writing an IISMA essay, knowing the reasons for applying for IISMA and what contribution will be made for IISMA.

From Kalimantan to South Korea An Incredible Story of GKS Awardee during COVID-19 outbreak

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An extraordinary story comes from an Universitas Islam Indonesia (UII) English Language Education alumni in 2020. His name is Rahmad Saputra, a recipient of the Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) organized by the South Korean government in 2021. GKS aims to provide opportunities for international students to obtain an education at higher education institutions in South Korea to enhance international educational exchange and strengthen relations between countries.

 

Rahmad got the opportunity to continue his master’s education at Kongju National University for two years. Nevertheless, he needs to complete a one-year Korean language course at Daegu University. This language course is mandatory in the first year for every GKS awardee, hoping it can make them easier in daily life and lectures that use Korean.

 

At the initial phase in Korea, Rahmad felt a cultural shock. It was because the weather drastically changed to minus temperatures, the learning environment and friendship, and the difficulty of finding halal food. In order to get halal food, he and his friends need to walk a kilometer to reach a halal restaurant. Additionally, during the first two weeks, Rahmad found it challenging to communicate with society. For instance, he often used body language and online translator applications when he wanted to buy an item or food.

 

On the other hand, he was delighted to be a GKS awardee. He once said that the tradition of studying in Korea is perfect, highly enthusiastic for learning, diligent, and disciplined. Therefore, he thought this tradition was suitable for him – a person with high education exposure. His main daily activity is studying Korean at Daegu University. He had a hard time during the first month in Korea, and he was unable to catch the speech of his language teacher. Further, he asked friends for help to interpret the meaning of the teacher’s order. Besides, when he was in the second month, he began to get used to the Korean language.

 

Regardless of studying the language on campus, he spends the time studying with friends from Indonesia and several other countries. He also cooked Indonesian food to treat homesickness for local cuisine, weekly shopping, and taking walks around. In addition, he also independently learns Korean through YouTube, apps, and e-books that he collects himself from the internet.

 

Finally, Rahmad hoped to become a better person, inspire, and be valuable to others. Furthermore, he advised that people must prepare everything in advance to get a scholarship. Please seek knowledge in lectures seriously, be an active student both in the academic field and in mobility activities outside of academics. Keep working hard, passionate, and fighting with all your heart.