Classroom Sound Amplification: An Audiologist’s Suggestions to Improve Learning

It is often frustrating to find cost-effective solutions for the parent concerned about the educational outcome for an at-risk school-age child. A relatively affordable strategies that I frequently suggest for improving a student's performance and learning efficiency in the traditional classroom is installing a classroom speaker system to boost the teacher's voice above the ambient noise level.

When a classroom is equipped with a sound-field amplification system, the teacher's voice is transmitted from a Lavalier microphone to ceiling or wall mounted speakers, which amplify it 8 to 10 dB above ambient room noise. In this way all the children, regardless of seat location and the direction the teacher is facing, are able to hear the teacher. Background noises interfere most significantly for children with learning disabilities, those in the early language acquisition process or with fluctuating hearing losses. However, the benefits of improved signal-to-noise ratios have been demonstrated on the normal student population as well.

Research on the sound field classroom systems indicates:

Reduced referral for individual resource assistance
Improved verbal and analytical standardized test performance
Increases in teacher instruction time with improved student attention
Reduction in vocal strain for the teacher

These classroom amplification systems are purchased directly from the manufacturers.

Audiology Hearing Aids Speech Pathology
Certified Member of American-Speech-Hearing Association
Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology

4010 Barranca, Suite 220 (at Culver), Irvine, California 92604
Phone: (949) 857-6051 Fax: (949) 857-0941
E-mail: wilson@hear-more.com


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