This French language teaching programme, designed and built by Epic for
secondary schools, simulates the experience of arriving in a small French
town (in reality, Dieppe). Tests with children showed that optimum success
was reached with small groups of three children who encouraged each other to
learn and were uninhibited in the sense that they would willingly talk to
the screen in French. The anonymity of the machine was an asset and the
absence of any adult teachers was essential.
The learners start by selecting whether they were male or female. This
triggers the characters on the programme to talk to you in either male or
female voices, as it was felt important to represent children in a voice of
their own sex.
They are then given some money, and their objective is to move around the
town of Siville, visiting shops and buying everyday items. To purchase the
items, they have to use everyday French vocabulary and numbers. If they get
lost, a Gendarme is on hand to give directions.
The
programme was designed to teach French to secondary school children, using a
structured, problem-solving approach to language learning. Epic worked with
HM Schools Inspectors and teachers to develop the teaching materials, then
produced the video, audio and interactive components. The programme takes
place in an imaginary French town, which was created using 3D film graphics.
They may roam the town, going up and down the streets in any direction;
turning in the direction of your choice at junctions and choosing to enter
any shops you pass along the way. There are set tasks of increasing
difficulty, of buying one or more items from one or more shops.
(from
Clark, 2003)
