What is a classroom Soundfield System?
The HowToAV team discusses the benefits of Soundfield Voice Reinforcement in the classroom and how it provides a better learning environment in the modern day classroom. Find out how these simple audio systems can be installed in classrooms to ensure the teacher's voice is heard equally by all students, no matter what the class size or where the student is seated in the room.
Soundfield voice reinforcement is providing better learning environments to a growing number of classrooms looking to adopt new technologies for more effective teaching.
What is a Soundfield System?
A soundfield system is a sound system for schools that improves the learning environment for the pupils by improving the sound environment in the classroom.
Why are schools looking to audio technology to improve teaching spaces?
Class sizes are increasing and as a consequence the environment is becoming more noisy. We’re using more open plan classroom and teaching spaces and this results in teachers not being able to be heard clearly or equally by all the pupils in the class. Teachers are having to speak day-in and day-out at unnaturally high voice levels which can easily result in teacher illness, stress, strain and absence.
What is Soundfield specifically doing to improve the learning environment?
Soundfield introduces a low level individual audio system into the classroom and it unobtrusively raises the teacher’s voice to make sure you get constant voice coverage throughout the entire class space. This ensures that every child or student in the room hears the lesson no matter where they are at the same level.
What’s the audio technology behind a Soundfield Voice Reinforcement System?
It’s basically a mini PA system. It’s an individual system which can be installed or can be portable and carried around classrooms. It consists of: an amplifier, loudspeakers and a wireless microphone (dependant on the classroom size and environment) which is worn by the teacher.
What microphone options are available to the teacher?
Dependant on the teaching style or the lesson, we can use a tie clip mic, a headset mic, a neck-worn mic or even a pendant mic which is worn around the teacher’s neck.
Is there ability to integrate other audio technologies into the system?
Of course. Soundfield isn’t just about raising the level of the teacher’s voice in the classroom environment, we also have the ability to plug in external sources such as MP3 players, DVD players, laptops and interactive whiteboards. We can also provide independent assistive listening systems for children with hearing disabilities and induction loop systems.
How has the education market taken to the adoption of Soundfield in the classroom?
It’s now becoming more common and it’s written into the specification of new schools and new refurbished classrooms by LEAs throughout the UK. It’s being requested more and more by teachers and lecturers in mainstream and inclusive teaching environments also where children with hearing difficulties are trying to be integrated into mainstream education.
The benefits of Soundfield Reinforcement in the classroom:
- More effective teaching in the learning environment
- All children clearly hearing and understanding the lessons
- Teachers not having to raise their voices, therefore significantly reducing voice strain, stress or illness
- Support for inclusive class training
Let the CIE AV Solutions design team help with your next Soundfield project
CIE's award-winning team of AV and systems integration experts provides a unique total project management service to the UK installer/integrator market.
Our AV experts offer a wide range of added-value services above and beyond the expectations of many other distributors including; System Design, Product Specification, Wiring Diagrams, Rack Design & Build, System Configuration, Training and Onsite/Remote System Support.
Our customers can access any or all of these services - many of which are totally free-of-charge - on a project by project basis; benefitting from increased skill levels, specialists in new technologies & integration or simply to increase your resource for pre- and -post sales support.
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