Sound Systems Right in the Classroom

Media and Methods, Sep/Oct 2005 by Lombard, Debbie

Sanger School District teacher, Nancy Penny, can be heard over a rattling air conditioner and her chatty third grade pupils -not by raising her voice, but by raising the volume.

With the help of a lightweight, over-the-ear microphone and a beltpack transmitter, Ms. Penny's voice can be heard throughout the classroom through a small speaker on a stand. Wireless, hands-free and easy-to-use are how this teacher and others describe this classroom sound system.

"I observed classrooms with sound amplification and saw firsthand the benefits," said Penny. "Students were more engaged and the classroom appeared energized."

Statistics show in a typical classroom, students in the front row will lose about 20 percent of the teacher's voice. The back row will lose as much as 50 percent of the sound. Younger students often have hearing difficulties at some point during the school year, either from ear infections, colds or behavioral issues.

It is documented in academic institutions that the more students can hear, the less they have to strain and guess. Thus, the better chance they will have of learning what is necessary.

A classroom amplification sound system takes some of the auditory strain out of the auditory learning process. "To be heard above my giggling children, outside playground noise and the general 'white noise' in my classroom without straining my voice is a wonderful thing," says Nancy Penny.

Debbie Lombard is the marketing manager for Anchor Audio, Inc., maker of audio systems. www.anchoraudio.com