Principal Investigator Gilberte Furstenberg
Project Website https://languages.mit.edu/pedagogies/a-la-rencontre-de-philippe/
A la rencontre de Philippe was created in the mid-1980s out of a collaboration between MIT Foreign Languages and Literatures and MIT’s Project Athena to use newly-emerging computer technology to create innovative materials for language learning. A la rencontre de Philippe was first developed in laserdisc format, and published by Yale University Press in 1993. In 2006, it was released in CD-ROM format by the French publishing Company, CLE International, based in Paris. Both were accompanied by a Teacher’s and Student’s manual (authored by Gilberte Furstenberg). Neither version is currently in print.
The objective of this program is to create an environment which, through the double process of immersion and interaction, is as close to the natural one as possible: where language takes back its primary function, as a tool for communication, and where the language learning process becomes experiential. The specific goal is to develop the users’ understanding of authentic spoken French by motivating them to understand what they see, hear and read.
Usually, students have a hard time understanding authentic spoken French as it is fast-paced, difficult to comprehend and the context is often unclear. Plus they lack intrinsic motivation in trying to understand, as there usually is nothing at stake. Here, students are motivated to understand as, in the process of searching for an apartment, they may uncover information that will help them with their task.
“A la rencontre de Philippe” is an interactive fiction, filmed in Paris, which puts learners in the middle of a story, of which they become the central character. The story branches out in different ways, depending upon what students do, which in turn depends on what they understand. In the process of involving students in a story, “A la rencontre de Philippe” also involves them in the language learning process.
This is the story of a young freelance journalist who has many problems: money problems, job problems and problems with his girlfriend.