It's simply a small PA system for the classroom. Typically it will have four small speakers placed around the room. The teacher uses a microphone either lapel or headworn, her voice is then sent via FM radio transmission to a receiver amplifier, which amplifies her voice. The teacher speaks to the children in a normal conversational level without the problems of vocal strain and fatigue.

Many people don't realize how hard it can be to learn in a classroom. Background noise distracts from the teacher's voice. The problem gets worse when the noise echoes off uncarpeted floors, high ceilings, hard desks, and windows. By the time the teacher's voice reaches the third or fourth row of desks, it can actually be less audible than the ambient noise. When students have to strain to hear and teachers have to strain to raise their voice to be heard learning suffers.

An easy, inexpensive way to improve the classroom listening and learning environment is to amplify the teacher's voice above the noise. It's called Sound Field Amplification and it's simply a small PA system for the classroom.

Sound field amplification effectively combats the effects of background noise, distance from the teacher. Classrooms that use sound field are enjoying better student comprehension and grades, better teacher vocal health, and fewer behavioral problems.

The sound field system can serve 20-40 students at a time in any classroom from kindergarten to high school.

Children spend at least 45% of the school day engaged in listening activities. Hearing is indeed the basis of classroom learning.

1. 90% of a very young child's knowledge is attributed to incidental reception of conversations around them. Thus learning is hindered even with the slightest hearing difficulty.
   
2. Otitis media, an inflammation in the middle ear that nearly always causes a fluctuating hearing loss, ranks second only to the common cold as the most common health problem in preschool children. An estimated 5 million school days are missed every year due to otitis media.
   
3. Approximately 80% of lower prep school students (4-10 years old ) suffer from a temporary hearing loss sometime during the school year. At any one time, 20-25% of these students will fail a school hearing test at 15dB. The average hearing loss with otitis media is 25-30 dB. This is similar to the hearing loss that occurs when ears are plugged with fingers.
   
4. 30% of all students diagnosed with learning disabilities have histories of chronic middle ear problems.
   
5. The dropout problem is particularly severe for students with learning disabilities- as many as 32% may not graduate.
   
6. The maximum desirable noise level for children with normal hearing is 35dB, yet the noise level can reach up to 44dB in an empty classroom with only traffic noise from the street. With 25 students and one teacher, the noise level can reach 60dB, equivalent to noisy typewriters in a business office.

As you can see Soundfields are a significant advantage to both student and teacher. Please contact us for further information.