It was a Friday, which means Novi Setyasto and Farizqo Irvan wore their traditional batik shirt to school — a symmetrical flower pattern sprouting from collar to cuff against its dark blue cloth. Along with their intricate Indonesian shirts, these excitable education professors sported smiles and a sparkle in their eyes. It was their first trip to the United States.
They spent a significant chunk of those two weeks at The Ohio State University at Newark — 10,000 miles from their classrooms at Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) in Central Java, Indonesia. Though their own semester was ongoing, Setayasto and Irvan ventured this far mainly to view how Ohio State Newark instructs its primary education majors. And if you ask Setayasto, “we saw some amazing things we can bring back to Indonesia.”
Their visit evolved from a nearly 10-year relationship between the two institutions. Adrian Rodgers, PhD, is an associate professor in Ohio State’s Department of Teaching and Learning. He’s also the director of the US-Indonesian Teacher Education Consortium. Rodgers has researched literacy in Indonesia, and in 2018, he shared some findings during an international seminar hosted by UNNES. “I was the moderator,” Setayasto stated. “We kept in touch, and last year, I emailed him about the possibility of collaborating on research.”
Rodgers invited Irvan and Setayasto to see Ohio State up close. He helped arrange a welcome reception for them, where Setayasto said they “tasted so much food and felt the warmth of the relationship.” Each day, Rodgers drove them back and forth from their Columbus hotel to Newark.
Setayasto and Irvan observed Ohio State Newark education classes and discovered different ways to prepare future teachers. They saw instructors construct lessons on teaching phonetics and phonemes, some building blocks of language. They tried out educational games that can help kids comprehend those concepts. They stopped by local elementary schools to see how first and second graders are developing reading skills. “I enjoyed every moment,” Irvan said. “There were so many interesting activities we could implement in our class. I learned so much.”
They presented everything they learned to a group of Indonesian PhD students at Ohio State, the first step in stitching together collaborative research. But the ultimate goal goes even further. “By doing this collaboration, we can have joint publications,” Irvan revealed, “and we even have aspirations to create a joint degree.” No matter exactly what comes of this partnership, one thing is obvious to Irvan: “this relationship will boost our international reputation.”
For now, though, it has provided them with some simple international exposure. They reveled in riding public transportation and remarked at how friendly other drivers seemed. They admired Columbus’ skyline, which Setayasto claimed was “just like in the Spiderman movie, where there are so many towers.” They marveled at the museums and Olympic-sized pools on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. They experienced the open space and open-mindedness on this campus. “Ohio State Newark is a pleasant place,” Irvan said. “It's quiet, and the conditions are so comfortable for students to learn here.”
These inquisitive visitors found kindred spirits in their counterparts at Ohio State Newark. The trip showcased compatible partner institutions that, while some of their tactics and terminology may differ, truly share a common goal. “We’re both making sure that our next generation of teachers is warm, humble, kind and focused on student development,” Setayasto said. “We’re both making sure they’re aware of technology and that their practices are suitable for students all around the world.”
In other words, these Indonesian educators are cut from the same cloth — even if theirs looks a little more ornate.