EducationHelp your students with Soundmask
While the increasing use of sound amplification in the noisy classroom significantly increases children’s performance, it simply makes the overall noise louder, which does not always address the cause of the problem. Soundmask systems mask intrusive noise so that children can hear the teacher with minimal or no amplification. Why is intrusive noise a problem?It is estimated that students are listening for about 45% of the school day, yet in a typical classroom, students are only able to recognise 30% of test stimuli. In fact at any given time, 43% of children can’t hear their teacher properly.
In the primary years, where children have a more limited vocabulary and are unable to “fill in” the words or part-words they miss, a couple of ear infections or a seat at the back of the classroom can have a devastating, lasting impact on their education. Children who are already disadvantaged—for example, children learning in their non-native language, or children with learning difficulties or behavioural problems—are particularly affected by excessive background noise. Word recognition performance and compliance with instructions is particularly problematic for such children in a noisy environment. Isn’t amplification the answer?Classroom amplification is one answer. The increasing use of sound amplification in the noisy classroom significantly increases children’s performance. If intrusive background noise is not a problem, then a classroom amplification system, for example Soundmask’s Soundbar™ pictured below, or PA systems from the Califone® range can work just fine.
It also fails to address the ANSI S12.60 standards of good classroom design:
Soundmask’s systems help to address these issues. How can Soundmask systems help?
A Soundmask system works by generating unobtrusive sound waves. This imperceptibly increases the level of background sound in the space, masking intrusive noise like machines or chatter. The space itself appears quieter because intrusive sound and intelligible speech are masked. Further, Soundmask systems do not become distracting because the generators that create the sound waves are programmed not to repeat for several lifetimes. Soundmask systems mask intrusive noise so that children can hear the teacher with minimal or no amplification. Click here to read more about soundmasking or contact us for a quote today. |
Extensive research has proven that children who cannot hear the teacher properly perform poorly compared with those who can. In the early primary years, this can have a devastating impact on the rest of those children’s education.
Excessive background noise is one of the primary inhibitors of listening comprehension. In fact, environmental noise above “classroom babble” means that children perform significantly worse compared with those who learn in a quiet classroom.
However, classroom amplification simply makes the overall noise louder, which may adversely affect children’s hearing in the long term. 
The best results occur where intrusive outside noise, for example traffic noise or adjoining classroom noise, distracts children or competes with the teacher’s voice. 
