Colin Campbell, Concept Developer - Education, Ecophon UK and Ireland
Interview (3,35 minutes)
By Marc Janssen / Concept Developer - Healthcare, Ecophon.
Ecophon Acoustic Bulletin
A news source for Ecophon partners in room acoustics
Category: - EDUCATIONAL PREMISES | Back »
July 2, 2008
April 4, 2008
Swedish study on noise in schools
Noise levels at schools are too high. The children become tired, unfocused and stressed and don't hear well. The behaviour of the children also affects noise levels with their voices being raised to be heard over the others. Read more here about this study in Uppsala in Sweden.
April 2, 2008
Noise in Danish daycare institutions
Noise from screaming children in nursery schools is a significant problem for many nursery school teachers. Noise makes the people tired, lead to irritation etc. Read more about the danish situation here!
December 14, 2007
Swedish Television publish checklist for quieter school canteens
In a Swedish TV program noisy school canteens were on the agenda. A resent study on noise levels in school canteens were referred to. It was mentioned that half of the pupils in the Swedish comprehensive schools feel bad due to school canteen noise levels. Children may get stomach pain; head ache or feel more stressed due to noise. The child reporter interviewed an adult regarding what you can do about it. The child concluded the interview with stating that also wall absorbers are needed! Here you can read more about it (in Swedish) and here is the checklist as a pdf.
Continue reading "Swedish Television publish checklist for quieter school canteens" »
November 28, 2007
Speech and hearing in learning environments
Take the opportunity to stay in touch with the latest regarding school acoustics! The Speech and Hearing Group within the UK Institute of Acoustics (IOA) organise a meeting on speech and hearing in learning environments (29 January 2008) in London. If you want to know the programme and how to register, click here for the programme!
September 19, 2007
Modern conditions for modern teaching and good classroom acoustics reduce working stress! Presentations at ICA 2007 in Madrid.
Markus Oberdörster and Gerhart Tiesler
The acoustic environment of classrooms has a significant impact on new modern teaching scenarios. Today, in many countries, education and teaching is becoming more student centred and differentiated. Classrooms that might have worked well for decades might have to be acoustically “updated”. Markus Oberdörster from Ecophon Germany, together with Gerhart Tiesler from ISF University of Bremen in Germany, spent years investigating the room acoustic conditions of a large amount of German classrooms. Markus talked about acoustics and teaching styles, but also questioned the relevance of Sabine’s formula in non-diffuse conditions and reverberation time as the only acoustic descriptor to use. Gerhart took this further by revealing data on how poor room acoustics has an impact on teacher’s workload, i.e. heart rate as stress indicator. The consequence of acoustically good classrooms is reducing the stressor “noise”, giving higher activation, reducing fatigue and potentially better learning results by the students.
August 16, 2007
Speech and Hearing in Learning Environments
The Speech and Hearing Group is a specialist group within the UK Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and they will organise a meeting on speech and hearing in learning environments (29 January 2008). Speech and hearing is crucial for learning in educational environments. Acoustics and noise have a direct effect on speech perception and vocal stress in the classroom etc. The meeting will be of interest to anyone concerned with providing optimal conditions for speech and hearing in schools and other learning establishments. For more details, read here!
January 9, 2007
Sound amplification in classrooms
Acoustical Society of America produced a position on the use of sound amplification in the classroom. They state that sound amplification should NOT be routinely employed in typical small mainstream classrooms. Additional comments are that sound amplification increases rather than reduces sound levels and good classroom acoustics can be achieved with good architectual design practice. Read more here!
December 11, 2006
Acoustic Ergonomics of Schools
A study on acoustic ergonomics of schools was recently published by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Dortmund/Berlin/Dresden) in Germany. It covers room acoustics of schools, teaching styles, teachers’ health and pupil behaviour. Results show that room acoustic improvements leads to better working conditions, sound pressure levels decreases, pupils’ social behaviour becomes calmer, teachers experience a lower load and noise/sound level sensitivity.
The study was conducted by Dr. Markus Oberdörster and Dr. Gerhart Tiesler, under the umbrella of the Institute for interdisciplinary school research of the University of Bremen. Its original name is “Akustische Ergonomie der Schule” and an English translation (2006) is now available.
This study can be purchased at (www.baua.de) (direct link: http://www.baua.de/nn_8514/de/Publikationen/Forschungsberichte/2006/Fb1071e.html__nnn=true) or a condensed version can be downloaded as a pdf here (Download file">Modern School Acoustics - English)
For information contact: carsten.svensson@ecophon.se
September 3, 2006
When children start to hear, room acoustics becomes critical
Thanks to an ambitious education initiative from the Swedish government, deaf children in Banja Luka, Bosnia, were provided with cochlea implants.
As soon as they have been able to hear, the very poor room acoustics of the school became an obstacle to the children's further learning.
Continue reading "When children start to hear, room acoustics becomes critical" »
August 10, 2006
Designing for Pupils with Special Educational Needs
BB77 is meant to be guidance for school design edited by the British government. It addresses the inclusive aspects of school facilities, meaning their capacity to accommodate pupils with special needs.
The draft is a 293 page document, applying to all schools whether “special” or not.
Continue reading "Designing for Pupils with Special Educational Needs" »
August 7, 2006
Classroom acoustics publications from ASA
Acoustical Society of America provides since some years useful literature for classroom acoustic design.
Particularly, the Classroom Acoustics booklet is meant as "an aid in the understanding of the elements of desirable listening conditions in classrooms" (whole content available below cover page picture)
August 4, 2006
Noise reduction by reducing reverberation time in day-care centres
Noise reduction in day-care centres by reducing reverberation time: Analyses and case studies is a study conducted on behalf of the Canadian IRSST. The aim of the study is to:
- examine the effects of acoustic materials and their impact on noise reduction and reverberation time.
- give concrete examples of noise reduction obtained through using acoustic treatments in day-care centres;
- develop a simple method in order to assess potential noise reductions by using acoustical treatments.
Continue reading "Noise reduction by reducing reverberation time in day-care centres" »
June 28, 2006
Intelligible Measurements!
How accurate are Speech Intelligibility measurements in practice?
Bristish Institute of Acoustics organises a thematic meeting on that matter 26th September. IOA writes: "Some measurements appear to be more robust than others. (...) Which metrics are most reliable?If you are involved with any form of speech intelligibility measurement or are interested in the audibility of speech in any sort of environment, then this meeting is a must."
June 24, 2006
Acoustics, cognitive load and learning in speech communication
Anders Kjellberg, Professor, University of Gävle, has been granted € 215 000 for a research project on room acoustics, cognitive load and learning in speech communication.
Besides Ecophon, the project involves several Swedish research institutions in environmental psychology, learning and room acoustics.
The main focus of the project is to see how and why long reverberation makes learning more difficult. The project will run 2006-2010.
Continue reading "Acoustics, cognitive load and learning in speech communication" »
June 21, 2006
Classroom Acoustics - a unique forum for experts and end-users
Classroom Acoustics is a North American discussion forum for "anyone who is interested in public/private school listening and learning environments".
A recent discussion regards the acoustical contribution of drapes to classroom acoustics. Acoustician David Lubman, active member of forum writes recently that "Often children's listening needs are better served with good acoustical ceilings than with thick drapes."
Classroom Acoustics is a unique place where experts and end-users meet, exchange ideas, metods and solutions to improve the acoustics in educational premises.
Continue reading "Classroom Acoustics - a unique forum for experts and end-users" »
June 6, 2006
Comprehensive piece of literature on acoustics for educational premises now available in German
"Don't limit your senses - sound and the learning environment" is now available in an upgraded German version, entitled "Mit allen Sinnen lernen : akustische Ergonomie in. Bildungsstätten".
ISBN 91-974193-4-6 and ISBN 978-91-974193-4-5
"Don't limit your senses" has been recognised over the years as one of the few comprehensive sources of information on acoustics in learning environments. Among others, it is referred to by several public authorities and government bodies throughout the world.
June 5, 2006
Room acoustics developments pointed out at Euronoise last week
The Euronoise room acoustics session included 7 lectures last wek in Tampere (Finland). Important developments are taking place in that field. Promising!
Continue reading "Room acoustics developments pointed out at Euronoise last week" »
May 15, 2006
Going beyond the requirements of BB 93?
"School acoustics after BB93 - practical problems and solutions" is a report compiled to assess the implementation of the British Building Bulletin 93 "Acoustic design of schools", also called BB93.
Continue reading "Going beyond the requirements of BB 93?" »
April 5, 2006
Teaching styles put new requirements on classrooms
Classrooms should be designed for modern teaching styles. In a study supported by the Oticon foundation published 2002, a research team from New Zealand looks at the acoustic implications of new teaching styles, where interaction between children is encouraged besides more traditional teaching.
More and more learning is done in small groups and a high emphasis is put on incidental learning, defined as what children learn from each other through gathering information casually. This asks for classrooms that are at least as much designed to maintain low ambient speech levels as to transmit the teacher’s speech from the blackboard to the pupils’ positions.
Continue reading "Teaching styles put new requirements on classrooms" »
March 9, 2006
Assessment of noise with respect to its effect on the intelligibility of speech
International Standard ISO/TR 3352:1974 "Acoustics - Assessment of noise with respect to its effect on the intelligibility of speech" provides methods for measurement and assessment of noise with respect to intelligibility.
Continue reading "Assessment of noise with respect to its effect on the intelligibility of speech" »
December 12, 2005
Initiatives for sports people
New acoustics guidelines for multidisciplinary sports facilities have been published in the Netherlands. The guidelines support principals in making the right demands in coming building projects, demands which guarantee the quality of the sporting, working and learning environment.
Read more
September 16, 2005
Quiet, please! - Acoustic and ergonomic working conditions for effective teaching
Authors: Markus Oberdörster (Saint-Gobain Ecophon GmbH), Gerhart Tiesler (Institut für interdisziplinäre Schulforschung)
Source: Originally released for DAGA'05, München 2005
September 14, 2005
The burden of noise - all in a day's work for teachers and pupils
Authors: Gerhart Tiesler (Institut für interdisziplinäre Schulforschung), Markus Oberdörster (Saint-Gobain Ecophon GmbH).
Source: Originally released for DAGA'05, München 2005
June 18, 2005
Noise in schools – a new study on the effect of room acoustics on teaching and learning
Educational premises have more and more problems with the acoustical working environment. The present study analysed the problems in four elementary schools and one secondary school. In these schools several classrooms (N=30) were analysed for reverberation time and speech transmission index. Additionally the sound pressure level (SPL) was monitored for 565 lessons. In addition all activities, relevant for noise, were registered by two observers inside the classrooms. The project was funded by the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Germany (Dortmund/Berlin/Dresden). Bremen University conducted the study itself.
March 18, 2005
Are you designing a school and need room acoustic details?
Do you need brief information on activities that matters from a room acoustical point of view in a classroom, or perhaps in a play- and activity room in a pre-school? Do you need an update on what reverberation times standards suggest in rooms for education?
Have a look at the 15 most common room types in educational premises today. >>
Or read more about why it is so important with good acoustical conditions in educational facilities.>>
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Recent Posts
- Colin Campbell, Concept Developer - Education, Ecophon UK and Ireland
- Swedish study on noise in schools
- Noise in Danish daycare institutions
- Swedish Television publish checklist for quieter school canteens
- Speech and hearing in learning environments
- Modern conditions for modern teaching and good classroom acoustics reduce working stress! Presentations at ICA 2007 in Madrid.
- Speech and Hearing in Learning Environments
- Sound amplification in classrooms
- Acoustic Ergonomics of Schools
- When children start to hear, room acoustics becomes critical
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