Top 6 Reasons Sound in the Classroom Can Accelerate Learning

Spend some time in an engaging classroom, and chances are you’ll hear the hum of teacher and student voices, exploration of multiplication tables, pencils and crayons gliding over paper, and a variety of devices. buzzing in the background (printer, tablets, 3D printers, scientific equipment, etc.). The classroom can be an amazing and dynamic space for active learning, but for some it can also be a cacophony of sound that makes learning difficult and communication difficult.

Students must be able to hear the instruction being delivered clearly, and doing so often requires high-quality, highly intelligible audio. When distracting background noise, poor audio, and challenging acoustics are present within a classroom, not only can learning be made difficult, but teachers may need to push themselves and repeat themselves, increasing overall classroom fatigue. of classes. An easy to use, high quality audio system that includes speakers, Bluetooth capabilities, and microphones that support an enhanced, active learning environment where sound is less of a barrier.

What can be achieved with sound technology in the classroom? Here are six reasons why exceptional sound is essential in a classroom.

1. Improves student behavior and focus

Listening is a skill and can be hard work for younger or newer students, students who cannot speak the classroom language well, or if you need to absorb a lot of information each day. Because of this, students’ minds can wander, which can lead to misbehavior and disengagement from the learning environment. But sound technology in the classroom helps improve student focus and behavior by reducing distractions and helping students hear lessons more clearly. When focus and clear instruction are successfully facilitated, attention, comprehension, and behavior are more likely to improve.

2. Increase understanding

Students, especially the younger ones and English language learners, you can miss up to 40% of what the teacher is saying for a variety of reasons (seating arrangements, background noise, reverberation, vocabulary, and still-developing brain), which is a huge disadvantage. By ensuring that the teacher’s voice is clearly and evenly distributed throughout the room, classroom sound systems it can be tremendously helpful in overcoming these barriers. The likely results? Improved literacy, comprehension, retention, and engagement that can lead to positive academic progress.

3. Create a more inclusive learning environment

While sound technology in the classroom is valuable to all students, it has even greater advantages for children with hearing impairments and learning disabilities. Classroom sound and lesson capture help offset the difficulty these students may have understanding spoken content. Quality audio provides a level playing field for all students to listen and participate with more confidence, a powerful indicator of future learning experiences. In some schools where sound systems were installed and implemented in the classroom, a reduction in referrals to Special Education was observed.

4. Reduces teachers’ vocal fatigue

Teachers need to project their voice towards the back of the classroom, and because of this, about half of all teachers will experience a voice disorder during their career, putting them on rest so their voices can recover. Free time for their voices also means time out of the classroom, which is detrimental to learning. First row, an audio solutions company that develops technology for effortless communication in any learning environment, has solutions that eliminate this added stress. Most teachers who use FrontRow technology report more energy and higher teaching satisfaction. Using a sound system in the classroom has been shown to reduce teacher sick days due to vocal fatigue by 63%.

5. Empower calmer students by building confidence

Students who are hesitant about classroom participation can be encouraged to participate more if they can hear and be heard properly. Most classroom sound systems come with student microphones that can be used for reading alouds, oral presentations, and class discussions. Having the sound system ‘talk’ to a shy or quiet student often has the remarkable effect of building their self-confidence in public speaking and in interactions with peers.

6. Compensate for background noise and seating arrangements

Think of all the possible background noises in a classroom. From outside traffic and construction to indoor heating and hallway chatter, there is an endless stream of potential distractions for students. Children with normal hearing need the teacher’s voice to be 15 decibels louder than background noise to be intelligible, but direct speech (the teacher’s voice) drops 6 decibels for every doubling of the distance. This means that a child sitting one meter from the teacher can hear her voice at 65 decibels, but a child sitting four meters away will only hear her conversation at 53 decibels. Since noise levels stay fairly constant in the room, the child who sits farthest away will inevitably miss out on more important content. This is the fundamental reason that schools use sound systems in the classroom: to ensure that students have equal access to clear verbal information. no matter where they sit in a classroom and no matter how noise conditions change throughout the day or year.

A high-quality classroom sound system clearly does more than amplify sound: it can also improve student behavior, focus, comprehension, and confidence; create a more inclusive active learning environment; and reduce teacher fatigue and disruption to learning. A win-win situation for everyone.

To learn more about how classroom and campus audio solutions have helped schools and districts across the county, click here: FrontRow Case Studies.

To learn more about award-winning, dynamic audio solutions, visit www.gofrontrow.com.