I Can Hear Clearly Now

Hear Clearly

PHOTO © D13

While kids frequently leave you with the impression that they don’t notice anything that isn’t on their smart phone or screeching at them from a television set, that isn’t necessarily so. Sometimes even seemingly subtle changes can produce profound differences and, ultimately, recognition from usually oblivious youth.

Take a roomful of sixth graders at the Robert E. Lamberton Public School in Philadelphia. Dr. Kenneth Roy, senior principal research scientist at Armstrong Ceiling Systems, conducted a test at the school involving the acoustics in that sixth grade classroom. The class was videotaped; however, the teacher was the only one in the room told the reason for doing so.

Prior to making any changes in the room, Dr. Roy took sound measurements in the classroom. The existing classroom ceiling consisted of one-half inch thickness of fiberglass insulation sprayed over plaster. The reverberation rate of sound in the room, he discovered, was up to 1.3 seconds, far exceeding classroom acoustic (ANSI S12.60) standards. The sound was, quite literally, bouncing off the ceiling and walls.

Taking advantage of a long weekend, Armstrong installed a suspended acoustic panel ceiling in the classroom. New ceilings also were installed in the school’s cafeteria and the principal’s office.

When the sixth grade students returned to class, new sound measurements were taken. This time, the classroom met the ANSI standard for sound reverberation of 0.60 seconds.

The teacher indicated there appeared to be less fidgeting and talking during lessons. Her students seemed to be paying more attention. What was even more interesting was the reaction of the students. When asked if they’d noticed any changes, there was an immediate response — they noticed the improvement in the sound levels. Several also commented that the room was a lot brighter, and yet another student, who sat in the back of the room, said “I can hear (my teacher) a lot better today.”

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

    The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

  • New eBook Shares Guidelines on Building CTE Centers

    Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum and resources provider iCEV recently announced the publication of a new eBook sharing guidance and insights on building new CTE facilities, according to a news release.

  • California District Starts Construction on New Robotics Facility

    The Fremont Union High School District (FUHSD) near Silicon Valley, Calif., recently announced that construction has begun on a new Robotics Facility on the campus of Cupertino High School, according to a news release. The 14,500-square-foot facility will serve students at high schools across the entire district, providing purpose-built spaces for student creativity and collaboration.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

Digital Edition