Classroom soundscape

The acoustical qualities within a classroom are referred to as its soundscape. Classrooms are environments full of sounds and student learning depends largely on how well the relevant messages are discerned within its soundscape. In the ideal classroom, the message is heard and understood with little or no effort. When teachers must raise their voices in order to be heard the listener may not get a clear signal across the full range of speech sounds. Being able to focus on relevant sounds is a fundamental factor accounting for learning the phonology of speech which underlies learning to read and write. Reverberation, noise, and distance between the speaker and listeners all contribute to the classroom soundscape. Student characteristics also contribute including hearing impairment, developmental disabilities, and specific deficits in learning, attention, speech, language, or auditory processing. In addition, second language learners cannot rely on previous linguistic experience and must depend more heavily on hearing the spoken messages accurately. The use of sound-field amplification has received a great deal of attention in the literature. Benefits of this technology include improved attention and learning in students as well as improved vocal health in teachers. The classroom environment has been described as more calm and relaxed when the soundscape is favourable. This paper reviews the literature and draws conclusions about these acoustical features which are essential for an optimal learning environment.