OCTOBER 2016
12
PHILANTHROPY NEWSLETTER
EDITO
© A.Meyssonnier / CAPA Pictures / Safran
At Safran, we develop major training programs across all of our businesses,
underpinned by a constant focus on research and creativity. Our philanthropy is
dedicated to educational projects that are as demanding as they are audacious,
covering all aspects of knowledge, skills and expertise.
That’s why we are so enthusiastic about the
wonderful Machine à lire (“Reading machine”)
invented by university professor Alain Bentolila
and his team, and are giving it our full-fledged
support.
We decided to dedicate the “back to school” issue
of our newsletter to this novel and powerful reading
device, since it clearly reflects the core values
of innovation and progress for all that underpin
Safran’s development strategy.
It clearly shows that society is not doomed to an
endless cycle of scholastic inequality, and that new
technologies can make invaluable contributions to
the common good.
This magical machine, an amalgam of unbridled
imagination and meticulous science, gives
underserved students access to the timeless and
irreplaceable wellspring of literature.
I hope you enjoy our newsletter.
Our 70,000+ employees have firmly embraced this
approach. As a world leader in aerospace, defense
and security, Safran places the entire planet within
the grasp of as many people as possible, day in,
day out.
CONTACT US
PASCALE DUBOIS
Executive Vice President, Communication
PHILANTHROPY NEWSLETTER
Pascale DUBOIS Executive Vice President, Communication
[email protected]
Publication Director
Pascale DUBOIS
Véronique FAIVRE Philanthropy General Manager
[email protected]
Editor-in-Chief
Véronique FAIVRE
PHILANTHROPY NEWSLETTER SAFRAN
12
OCTOBRE 2016
INTERVIEW
Professor Alain Bentolila © First
The Reading Machine
PROFESSOR ALAIN BENTOLILA IS AN INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED
LINGUIST, FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT READING IS A UNIVERSAL GOOD THAT
SHOULD BE SHARED AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN.
ENTREPRENEUR, SCIENTIST AND AUTHOR, HE STUDIES EVERYTHING THAT IS
LIKELY TO FACILITATE THE UNDERSTANDING AND SHARING OF WORDS. AFTER
SETTING UP A NATIONAL PROGRAM IN FRANCE TO COMBAT ILLITERACY, ALAIN
BENTOLILA AND HIS TEAM DESIGNED THE MACHINE À LIRE, OR “READING
MACHINE”. IN THIS INTERVIEW HE DESCRIBES THIS INTRIGUING INVENTION.
fact, there’s an easy, effective solution: the Reading
Machine!
How was the Reading Machine conceived?
Professor Alain Bentolila: All parents dream of
seeing their children plunged in a good book,
spending hours at the library, asking Santa Clause
for Doctor Seuss, then Harry Potter and finally David
Foster Wallace! The Reading Machine was born of an
incontrovertible fact: not all children are equal when
it comes to books. Some are exhausted before they
even start the first page. They’re terrified at the idea
of confronting that mass of paper, which seems long
and tiring. And they’re overwhelmed by anxiety at not
being able to finish, and perhaps failing in the eyes
of somebody they wanted to impress. The desire to
read a book is not a gift or a taste that some kids are
deprived of by divine intervention or bad genes. In
Motivating the reading averse
How does it work?
Professor Alain Bentolila: The Reading Machine is
an application. The basic idea is to encourage those
who are reading-averse to read longer and longer
passages on their own, by alternating chunks of
independent reading with listening to a text, all at
his or her level of course. In other words, as soon
as youngsters begin to hit a limit, they click to call
an audio passage to the rescue, until they’re ready
to start reading again themselves. In fact, it’s similar
to the gradual training of a jogger, who starts by
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PHILANTHROPY NEWSLETTER SAFRAN
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OCTOBRE 2016
running slowly until out of breath, then begins again,
increasing the distance each time.
engine to select a book, using intro sheets to guide
their choice. The app offers three levels of reading:
easy (with virtually equal reading and listening times);
intermediate (the listening time is reduced); and
difficult (large majority of reading time). They then
answer a quiz to check that they’ve understood the
story. Of course, I’m only summarizing the approach
here; there are many more steps and possibilities.
IN PRACTICE, THE READING MACHINE
FOSTERS AMBITION AND A TASTE FOR
PUSHING ONE’S LIMITS, BUT THE USER
ALSO DISCOVERS THE PLEASURE OF
READING AFTER THIS REASONABLE
BUT MANDATORY EFFORT. NOT TO
MENTION IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING
OF WORDS AND ENTIRE TEXTS.
When used collectively, an instructor joins a group
of students. Instructors have three tasks: they
determine the reading ability of each youngster to
help them choose the appropriate level. They track
progress by studying the degree of endurance
(ratio between listening time and reading time). And
they organize workshops to help the youngsters
understand the texts in the books being read by the
group. The youngsters really push each other to get
better, it’s wonderful!
The purpose is obviously not to let the readingaverse get comfortable in an alternating rhythm
of reading and listening, but on the contrary to
encourage them to gradually “bite off” larger and
larger chunks of a book. You have to make sure that
the alternating reading/listening segments help the
youngster develop greater “endurance”.
We offer two ways of using the Reading Machine,
individually or collectively. Alone, the reader creates
a personal account using a tablet or PC, with just an
Internet connection. He or she then uses a search
Who is the machine addressing?
Professor Alain Bentolila: It was tested around Le
Havre, France, with 12 audio-guide books for the
The Reading machine interface
3
Example of a student quiz
PHILANTHROPY NEWSLETTER SAFRAN
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OCTOBRE 2016
target population of children 9 to 14 years old. Our
tests were a success. The youngsters became keen
readers, and over the course of months the pages
read began to outnumber the pages listened to.
The Reading Machine was designed for children,
but in fact we were contacted by another group,
seniors! Trials in two retirement homes in Le Havre
showed exceptional results for older persons who
were losing their near-term memory. That gives us a
lot of hope. At any age, reading helps develop one’s
imagination, curiosity and knowledge, and makes a
lasting impression.
A promising debut
What are the initial results of the tests
in Le Havre?
Professor Alain Bentolila: Let me give you an
example. We asked 150 students 9 to 11 years
old* who had never opened a book to try the
Reading Machine. The fact that it uses the tablets
and smartphone that they love is obviously an
advantage, I must admit. In a month, 67% of them
finished one of the books over 35 pages offered
on the Machine, with a final ratio of 70% reading
to 30% listening. Furthermore, one out of four
read more than three books, with the same results.
For them, it’s like conquering a new world! There
were also a number of secondary benefits: better
concentration, expanding their vocabulary, better
writing skills, etc.
How many books are there in the library, and
in what regions will the Reading Machine be
developed?
Professor Alain Bentolila: There are now 45 books,
with different subjects, lengths and degree of
readability. The search engine allows everybody to
find the right book. On our bookshelves you can see,
for example, “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp”, “On
a volé le Nkoro-Nkoro”, “The Mystery of the Yellow
Chamber”, “Kidnapped”, “The Martian Chronicles”,
etc. All of these books are ready to be discovered by
new readers. Deployment kicked off in July 2016 in
the French cities of Le Havre, Bergerac, Moulins, Dijon,
Le Perreux, Amiens, Charleville and Saint-Denis.
THE PROGRAM WILL GRADUALLY BE
EXTENDED THROUGH NEXT YEAR,
EVENTUALLY CONCERNING SOME
4,600 CLASSES AT ALL LEVELS, AND
MORE THAN 50,000 STUDENTS IN FIVE MAIN
ADMINISTRATIVE SECTORS: PARIS, ORLÉANS,
RENNES, AMIENS AND LYON.
Instructors in these areas are gradually being trained
in how to use our Machine, and we will deliver the
access keys as the program is rolled out.
What does Safran contribute as a sponsor?
Professor Alain Bentolila: We are delighted that an
innovative enterprise like Safran is supporting the
Reading Machine – it’s really encouraging. Safran’s
support has enabled us to improve in three critical
areas. Like I said earlier, the Reading Machine will be
deployed in new regions; we added 25 books to the
library; and we’re working on a version for younger
readers, from 6 to 9 years old. After all, it’s better to
develop the reading habit as early as possible!
*In France, this covers the “3rd cycle”, between the last two years of primary
school and the first year of junior high school. The idea is to foster educational
continuity and a consistent approach, so that these young students acquire a
common base of knowledge, skills and culture.
Source: Bulletin officiel de l’Education nationale.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE READING MACHINE (FRENCH ONLY):
http://www.info.machinealire.com/