Classroom Sound Field Amplification: An Introduction from Extron
POV: Thomas Pulley
Ambient noise can be a challenge in the classroom making it difficult at times for students to hear their instructor. Lively students, computers and air-handling equipment, poor classroom acoustics, outside sounds, and minor hearing difficulties, can have a significant impact on a room’s audio.
Classroom sound field amplification systems have been successfully used to help students with hearing impairments. Recent research has demonstrated that even students with normal hearing ability benefit when these systems are used in their classrooms.
Instructors must overcome numerous acoustical barriers to learning in order to effectively deliver instruction to their students. Yelling, or speaking more loudly, works to a point. But the instructor will fatigue themselves more quickly when simple, effective means of voice reinforcement exist. This paper describes the basic components of a sound field system and summarizes research related to the benefits that can be realized when classroom amplification is used to support the delivery of effective classroom instruction and improved methods for keeping the attention of students.