As teachers you often wonder if your message is getting through.

Research indicates that most students catch only 70 percent of what you say. But this is not surprising given the class size today and the poor classroom acoustics.

Let’s look at the facts. Children spend approximately 50% of their school day listening. Kids who have good listening skills tend to become better learners. Kids who have difficulty hearing often “missed out”, “day dream” and engaged in disruptive behaviour.

Children auditory processes are not developed until they become teenagers. So in order to comprehend what you are saying, kids need greater speech clarity than adults.

Since what the teacher says can often be new and unfamiliar, the students cannot rely on context when they miss a word.

The typical classroom learning environment is also affected by the following factors:

1. Distance. Audibility decreases as the distance between the teachers and students increases. Research showed that students sitting in front of the classroom received about 83% of what the teacher is saying. This decreased to about 66% in the middle of the classroom and just 55% for those sitting at the back.

2. Background noise. Students talking, air conditioning, computers, shuffling of feet, traffic noise etc. all contribute to the noise level in the classroom. Students sitting away from the teacher will have great difficulty hearing the teacher with all these intrusive noises.

3. Reverberations. Research by Busby and Blake of Auckland University tell us that 95% of classrooms in Auckland schools failed the NZ acoustic standard. There is no reason to doubt that the same is true of schools throughout NZ. Reverberations or echo can also have a negative effect on speech.

Many teachers unconsciously raise their voices to compensate for distance and background noise. This has a negative effect in the learning environment because it increases stress levels and can harm teacher’s vocal health.

For all the above reasons it is no wonder that more and more schools are tuning to Sound Field systems. A well designed system will improve the ‘Signal to Noise ‘ratio by raising the teacher’s voice 15-20 dB above background noise, and optimize classroom sound quality. But more crucial, Sound Field systems are designed to engage young minds, inspire class participation, instill a stress free learning environment, helping kids learn.

The systems are not just for kids with hearing difficulties; it is for all children.

In a 12 year study conducted by the Department of Education in US, researchers discovered that students in classrooms with Sound Field systems consistently had better grades than students in standard classrooms. The children “stay on tasks” that much better, and there was significant reduction in “disruptive behaviour”. Classrooms with Soundfield were also generally quieter, giving the children and teachers a calmer working environment.

More recent research conducted by audiologists and psychologists revealed that Soundfield could also be beneficial to children with APD (Audio Processing Disorder), and those suffering from AD/HD and Autism. The impact of Soundfield on these children most certainly warrants further study.

The results of the US study were confirmed by similar studies conducted here in New Zealand. As a consequence many schools in New Zealand are now embracing the concept  and introducing Soundfield into classrooms.