Download Audio Enhanced Classrooms

Abstract
We ask our students to listen when we speak, but can they hear
us? Studies indicate, 75 percent of the school day is spent
engaged in listening activities Hubble-Dahlquist (1998). However,
these studies also report that often students cannot hear the
teacher or may have difficulty understanding the teacher. This
problem not only affects the hearing impaired students, but also
those students in the general population. Classroom size, class
room desk and furniture set-up and especially class size can
disrupt the acoustics in a classroom. Studies have been done on
audio enhanced classrooms and their effect on student
achievement. Audio enhanced classrooms benefit all students and
their teachers. The presentation will include information about the
benefits of the audio enhanced classroom and examples of audio
enhancement equipment that is available to schools.
Handout
Educator Questionnaire
Can your students hear you?
As educators, we spend a majority of our day verbally communicating with our
students. Have you ever thought about the acoustics in your classroom and if an audio
enhanced classroom assist you and your students?
Jot your answers to the following questions or just take a minute to think about your
answers.
•Do you have a student in your classroom who is hearing impaired?
•Do you find that as you look out at your class, students look as if they are straining to
hear you?
•Do the desks “creep” closer to you during the day?
•Do you find that you must repeat yourself and instructions over and over (more than
usual)?
•Do you often have to pause to let outside noise subside before you finish a thought?
•Do you find that your throat is sore or you lose your voice often?
• Is your voice tired at the end of the day?
Would you like to learn more about an audio enhanced classroom?
We ask our students to listen, but can they hear us?
By Patricia Tobin
75 percent of the school
day is
spent engaged in listening
activities
Hubble-Dahlquist (1998)
Students can achieve at higher levels when they can hear
clearly and don’t have to strain and guess at what the
teacher is saying.
Results of studies show the
listening and attending behaviors
of students with learning
disabilities as well as those
students in regular classrooms
demonstrated improved listening
and attending behaviors after the
implementation of an amplification
system.
Arnold & Canning, 1999, Black, Field, Forster, Platt & Wertz
1991, Kosenbert, Allen, Redmo d, Phillips & Suger, 1995.
One of the corner stones of a child’s early education
is the development of language skills. An instinctive
grasp of phonetic structure and grammatical rules
comes about only through repeated exposure to clear,
unambiguous auditory interaction with parents,
teacher and peers. Too often such interaction is
corrupted by the acoustical environment in which it
takes place.
Healey, James E., Au.D.
External Noise
Distracting in a Classroom
•hallways
•adjoining classrooms
•street traffic
•construction
•playground
Noise Within the Classroom
•Talking/Including support staff
•Desks & chairs
•Heating system/lights
•Computer equipment
•Shuffling feet/traffic
•Paper
•Overhead projector
•P.A. System
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Children hear and listen differently from
adults
Too often this fact is not considered with
building schools
Often the noisy classrooms are due to the
heating, ventilation and air conditioning
(HVAC). The HVAC industry is working to
improve products. (Nelson & Blasaser, 2010)
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Some estimates suggest that at any given
time 25% of children could have ear infections
Children with hearing loss are significantly
affected by background noise
Children learning English as a second
language need quiet rooms to understand
their teachers and peers
Children with ADHD have reduced attention
and increased distractibility.
Who benefits from an audio enhanced
classroom?
Teachers and students
Teacher Benefits
FM Personal Systems and FM Field Systems
Teachers experience a higher number of voice
problems than the general public, according to
Gotass and Strarr (1993).
Sapienza, Crandell, and Curtis (1999) found that FM
systems in a classroom can reduce a teacher’s
overall speech volume , thus limiting the potential
for voice problems.
Using an amplification system could cut down of
teacher voice problems.
Benefits
FM field systems are more cost effective than
individual FM systems.
All students benefit from the clear, amplified
sound.
Less stigma is associated with a field system –
students do not have wear something different
from their classmates
Students are more likely to listen when the
teacher’s voice is heard over a loud speaker than
over an individual headset.
One Study
Do Students’ listening and learning behaviors improve as a result of an
acoustical environment enhanced through the use of FM sound field
classroom amplification?
Institution:
Educational Audiology Association, Tampa FL
Supported by Florida State Dept. Education
3 year project, consisting of 2,054 students in 95 K-3 general education classrooms.
64 classrooms used the Easy Listener Freefield System ™ by Phonic Ear.
30 classrooms served as control (unamplified) classrooms.
1,750 students indicated that students in amplified classrooms demonstrated
significant improvement in listening and learning behaviors, skills, and progressed at
a faster ate than their grade-alike peers in unamplified classrooms, and that younger
students demonstrated the greatest improvement.
Rostenberg, G.G., Blake-Rahter, P. , Heavner J., Allen, L., Redmond, B. M., Phillips, J., &
Stigers, K. (1999). Improving Classroom Acoustics (ICA): A Three-Year FM Sound Field
Classroom Amplification Study. Journal of Educational Audiology.
The Institute for Enhanced Classroom Hearing
Study
Twelve classes of Grade 2 children participated in the project. For
classes 1-8, the listening environments were alternated between
amplified and unamplified conditions. Each condition being for two terms
of the school year. Beneficial effects of amplification were obtained in all
three skill areas of reading ,writing and numeracy.
Students in classes with FM sound field amplification achieved higher
scores in listening, vocabulary, math concepts, and math computation on
the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, with greater gains made by younger
students.
Higher reading test scores were attained by students with minimal to mild
hearing loss in amplified classrooms
Additional Studies Reported by The Institute
for Enhanced Classroom Hearing
:
California: Multiple year study of 3rd and 4th grade student
cohorts reported up to 14% gains in reading, math,
language and spelling over a 3 year period as measured
with Stanford-9
Michigan: Secondary students showed 10% gains after four
years of data collection. 75% of all classrooms are now
enhanced in the intermediate school district.
Amplification systems to help all
children in the classroom
Amplification Systems to help
Students and Educators
Personal FM systems
Sound field amplification
Induction loop amplification
Infrared systems
Personal FM Systems
FM Listening Systems let teachers talk into a hand-held
microphone, which transmits the sound of the teacher's
voice directly to a deaf or hard of hearing child's hearing aid.
Students hear the teacher clearly and easily, even from he
back of the room. May be connected to a television, tape
recorder or radio.
This transmission happens on reserved radio spectrum 216217 MHz. Many retailers of products for deaf and hard of
hearing people carry personal FM systems.
Cost: $700.00 To $800.00
(Assisted Access)
There are many websites
Sound Field FM Systems
Teacher speaks into microphone. Sound is transmitted over
amplified loud speakers set up in the classroom.
 The transmitter can be connected to the VCR, or tape
recorder which improves the often degraded sound of these
recordings.
TO GO SYSTEM. Includes: Receiver/Speaker Column
(includes battery), Body-Worn Transmitter (Includes batteries
AT0712), Charging Stand, Behind-the-neck boom
microphone, Table stand, Wall mount bracket,
Aux-in/out cords, Volume locks, screwdriver,
TOGO guide.
Classroom "Pass around mic" is available for
this system further down the page.
Price: $914.99
Audiogear.com
Induction Loop System
You don't need
receivers or
headphones for each
hearing impaired
individual.
Induction loop systems consist of a thin wire that
is placed around the listening area*, a special
amplifier and microphone(s). Speech signals are
amplified and circulated through the loop wire.
The resulting magnetic energy field is detected
and amplified by the "telecoil" or telephone
switch circuitry common to many hearing aids,
cochlear implants and induction loop receivers.
The end result is a high quality amplified
reproduction of the original speech signal.
Intelligibility is greatly increased because the
distance between the speaker and the
listener(s) is bridged and background
environmental noise is reduced. (Click on above
image for an enlarged version.) Above
illustration adapted with permission: Cynthia
Compton, Gallaudet University, Copyright 1991.
Induction Loop
System
The Microloop II FM and Microloop II Dual FM are ideal
induction loop systems for classrooms, meeting rooms, TV
viewing and even automobiles. Car kit is needed.
Lightweight, at only 3-4 lbs., the Microloop II is portable,
easy to set up and easy to use. FM and infrared systems
require special receiving equipment that can cost
thousands of dollars. In comparison, the Microloop
induction loop systems are extremely cost effective because
many hard of hearing people can receive the transmissions
with the hearing aids they already own.
**Pricing: 669.00
Plus accessories
(Ovalwindowaudio.com)
complicated
Infrared FM Field System
Designed to allow the teacher and students to walk freely
around the room with the infrared microphones/system
control units.
Equipment includes:
(2) Pendant / Handheld Transmitters,
(1) Pure Resonance® Audio SD4 Super Dispersion Ceiling
Speaker
(1) Charging Station,
(1) Receiver/Amplifier,
(2) IR Receiver Domes with Cables,
Rechargeable Batteries, and
Power Supplies
Cost: 1,499.95
Proacousticusa.com
The set up of classroom amplification can be a simple
and inexpensive way to improve many students’
educational experiences in the general education
classroom.
Student achievement is the result of good teaching.
References
Arnold, P. & Canning, D. (1999). Does classroom amplification aid comprehension? British Journal of Audiology, 33,
171-178
Blake, R., Field, B., Foster, C., Platt F., & Wertz, P. (1991). Effect of FM auditory trainers on attending behaviors of
learning-disabled children. Language, Speech, and Hearing
Services in Schools, 22, 111–114.
Gotaas, C., & Starr, D. (1993). Vocal fatigue among teachers. Folia Phoniatric, 45, 120-129.
Healy, James E., Au.D. (2007). Bi-County Collaborative. Classroom Mangement of Functionally Hearing Impaired
Students.
Hubble-Dahlquist, L. (1998). Classroom amplification: Not just for the hearing impaired anymore [online]. CSUN '98
Papers. Available from http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/Us_Eu/conf/csun_98/csun98_124.htm.
Massie, R., Dillon, H. Researching Achievement. The Institute for Enhancing Classroom Hearing. (2006) 5N0(1):6277.
Nelson, Peggy B., and Blaeser, Susan B. (2010) .Classroom Acoustics: What Possibly Could Be New? American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1997-2011.
References
Rostenberg, G.G., Blake-Rahter, P. , Heavner J., Allen, L., Redmond, B. M., Phillips, J., & Stigers, K. (1999).
Improving Classroom Acoustics (ICA): A Three-Year FM Sound Field Classroom Amplification Study. Journal
of Educational Audiology.
Sapienza, C., Crandell, C., & Curtis, B. (1999). Effects of sound-field frequency modulation amplification on
reducing teachers’ sound pressure level in the classroom. Journal of Voice, 13(3), 375-381.