Dynamic Soundfield Systems as Tools for Wider Success in the Classroom

 

The Hearing Loss Association of America estimates that about 20% of Americans live with some degree of hearing loss, ranging from mild to profound. That’s 1 in 5 people.

Schools often overlook mild cases of hearing loss, despite the affect they have on learners. We typically design classroom settings as single-plane or auditorium-style spaces with one professor speaking from the front. In poor acoustic environments, sound is refracted off of and absorbed into objects throughout the room. The majority of learners not at the front of the room find themselves at a significant disadvantage.

Dynamic soundfield technology can enhance the learning environment, both for people with hearing loss and for those without hearing loss. A dynamic soundfield system is essentially a portable surround-sound system. The professor wears or carries a microphone while manually-positioned speakers enhance the reach of the professor’s voice throughout the space. This YouTube video by How To AV explains in more detail how these systems work.

Classroom designers have installed dynamic soundfield systems in primary and secondary education settings. Researchers have demonstrated that these systems aid students who have Auditory Processing Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, and both sensorineural and conductive hearing losses. Additionally, the instructor benefits from using a microphone as it decreases the need to overexert the voice, which ultimately preserves the vocal health of the speaker.

The FrontRow Pro Digital is one of the higher-end and well-acclaimed soundfield system models. This model and others allow the educator to attach the soundfield system to other media, including PC, TV, DVD, CD, interactive whiteboard, and more.

Currently, a dynamic soundfield system costs about $1,000, but this should be compared against the $40,000,000,000 the US spends on sick leave for educators suffering voice pathologies that are a direct result of overexertion in the classroom. Finally, and most importantly, multiple studies suggest statistically measurable increases in pupil performance in the classroom for learners of all ages and all levels of need.

Access to this hearing assistive technology is supported by legislation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. 

https://umaine.edu/citl/people/kristen-doherty/