Strengthening Cultural and Language Learning Through ILLA at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School

Throughout May 2026, students at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School took part in a two-week series of interactive Indonesian language and cultural activities led by ILLA Ambassadors Dian Fikriani and Gabriela Nathania Harywanto. Working alongside Indonesian teacher Ibu Kellie Elsegood, the ambassadors engaged students from Years 1 to 6 through storytelling, traditional arts, games and hands-on classroom activities designed to strengthen their Bahasa Indonesia skills while introducing them to Indonesia's rich culture and natural environment.

The program commenced from 4–8 May with Dian Fikriani, whose lessons centred on environmental awareness, storytelling and creative expression through wayang. Across all year levels, students explored Indonesia's forests, endangered wildlife, and conservation efforts through storybooks, videos, vocabulary-building activities and collaborative performances.

For students in Years 1 and 2, learning began with a reading of There's a Rangutan in My Bedroom, introducing Indonesian wildlife and related vocabulary through flashcards and guided discussions. Students then created their own wayang characters inspired by the story before presenting them using simple Bahasa Indonesia, combining creativity with language learning and environmental themes.

Students in Years 3 and 4 built on these concepts by watching and discussing a video about protecting the forests of Borneo. They learned Indonesian vocabulary related to nature, animals and conservation before reinforcing their understanding through colouring activities and interactive storytelling using pre-made wayang characters. These activities encouraged students to identify new vocabulary and construct simple Indonesian sentences connected to environmental protection.

Meanwhile, students in Years 5 and 6 collaborated to develop short wayang performances highlighting environmental challenges such as illegal logging, forest fires, mining and wildlife hunting. Using simple phrases such as Kita harus menjaga hutan and Selamatkan hutan Indonesia!, students combined language practice with performance-based learning that fostered teamwork, creativity and awareness of environmental sustainability.

Building on this foundation, Gabriela Nathania Harywanto continued the program from 11–15 May with a new series of activities exploring Indonesian animals, geography, traditional games and folklore. Her sessions reinforced language learning through movement-based and interactive classroom experiences tailored to different year levels.

For Years 1 to 3, Gabriela introduced the legend of Surabaya as a gateway to learning about Indonesia's geography, endemic wildlife and storytelling traditions. Students identified Indonesia's major islands and discovered animals unique to different regions of the archipelago before reinforcing their learning through colouring and tracing activities, where they practised writing the names of their favourite animals in Bahasa Indonesia.

Older students in Years 4 to 6 explored Indonesian traditional games, with a particular focus on rubber band jump rope. After learning about traditional children's games in Indonesia, students worked together to create their own jump ropes using rubber bands before practising Indonesian vocabulary related to body parts and movement while playing. The activities demonstrated how language learning can be integrated into physical activity and collaborative play, creating an engaging and memorable classroom experience.

Throughout the two-week program, Dian and Gabriela worked closely with classroom teachers to create a supportive and engaging learning environment that integrated language development with cultural understanding. Storytelling, visual learning, creative arts, movement-based activities and collaborative games were consistently used to encourage participation and make Bahasa Indonesia accessible and enjoyable for students across all year levels.

The program at Peter Moyes Anglican Community School reflects the ILLA Program's commitment to strengthening intercultural understanding through immersive, student-centred learning experiences. By introducing students to the Indonesian language, environmental conservation, traditional arts and cultural traditions in meaningful and engaging ways, Dian and Gabriela have inspired curiosity and enthusiasm for continued Indonesian language learning.