Classroom Acoustics

It is hard for a child to learn in a noisy classroom. There are ways to make it easier for
children to hear and learn. Audiologists can help.
On this page:
About Classroom Acoustics
Problems Caused by Poor Classroom Acoustics
Good Classroom Acoustics Helps Everyone
Improving Classroom Acoustics
Other Resources
About Classroom Acoustics
Your child needs to hear and understand what others say to learn. A noisy classroom can
make this hard. Noise in the classroom is more than children talking. There are other
factors that make a classroom bad for hearing.
Acoustics is a term used to talk about how sound travels in a room. There are factors in
the room design that may make sounds louder or softer. Examples include rugs on the
floor, the type of ceiling the room has, and how the air ducts work. Classroom acoustics is
the term for these issues in schools.
Two things cause poor classroom acoustics. These are too much background noise or
too much reverberation.
Background Noise and Reverberation
Background noise is any sound that makes it harder to hear. In a classroom, background
noise can come from many places, such as:
Cars and trucks outside of the school
Lawnmowers
The sounds of other children on the playground or in the hallway
Heating or air conditioning units
Other students in the room
Reverberation describes how sounds stay in a room after they first happen. Sounds stay
in the room when they bounce off of desks or walls. It is harder to hear when sounds stay
in the room. If many sounds do this at once, it can get very loud. In a classroom, it is
important to have a short reverberation time.
Problems Caused by Poor Classroom Acoustics
When classroom acoustics are bad, it can cause problems with how your child
understands speech;
reads and spells;
behaves in the classroom;
pays attention;
concentrates; and
succeeds in school.
For these reasons, it is important to make the classroom quieter for all children.
Good Classroom Acoustics Helps Everyone
All children will do better in a quieter classroom. It is even more important to have a quiet
room if your child has
hearing loss in one or both ears;
an ear infection or fluid in the ear;
a learning disability;
auditory processing disorder;
speech and language delay; and/or
attention problems.
A quieter classroom will also help if your child speaks more than one language.
Teachers also do better if there are good classroom acoustics. Teachers use their voices
for about 60% of their workday. Talking in a loud classroom strains the teacher’s voice
and may lead to voice problems.
Reverberation
Reverberation refers to the noise that bounces off the surfaces of a room. Any noise
occurring in the classroom in the form of papers rustling, side conversations or chair
movement will be reflected back toward the students. With how restless students tend to
be, a classroom can be a noisy place even when the teacher is the only person talking.
Reverberation noise can interfere with speech recognition by muddling the speech that
reaches your students’ ears. Naturally, impaired speech recognition will negatively impact
educational achievement.
THREE TYPES OF NOISE
Airborne Noise
Airborne noise broadly refers to any noise sources that originate from outside the room:
a noisy hallway outside a library, the conversations in the classroom next door that can
be heard through the wall or a lawnmower outside the window.
Airborne noise can be a distraction more than an obfuscation, but that doesn’t make it
any less detrimental.
Impact Noise
Impact noise refers to the noise you hear from above: a desk moving, footsteps of classes
changing, etc. Given what we’ve been discussing so far, it’s not difficult to see how these
noises could be a problem, too.
Noise is an inescapable part of the classroom. If you’re serious about trying to minimize
noise-related distractions, what are your options? Either improve the noise reduction in
your classroom, or turn every day into silent sustained reading. The only problem with the
SSR plan: ambient noise negatively affects concentration and attention span, as well.
 ALPHAENVIRO® PVC SOUND BAFFLE

Our AlphaEnviro® PVC Sound Baffle is an economical hanging sound absorbing baffle with a
wipe-able surface. Suspended vertically, these acoustical baffles are used to reduce and lower
excessive reverberation times (RT60) in large open spaces. The baffles work to interrupt the path
of the noise and reduce sound reverberation. Available in an array of bold colors, they can be
manufactured in custom sizes up to 4′ x 10′.

Easily install these baffles using simple hardware through the grommets provided on the top
width edge. You can suspend these baffles from ceilings, bar joists, cable, per-engineered truss
systems and arranged in a manner to create dynamic looks or avoid lighting and HVAC
equipment.
APPLICATIONS:
Arenas, gymnasiums, theaters, restaurants, offices, kennels, manufacturing and more.
FEATURES:
 Reduces echo and reverberation
 Improves speech intelligibility
 Exceptional acoustical performance
 Economical
 Easy to maintain
TECHNICAL INFORMATION FOR ALPHAENVIRO® PVC SOUND BAFFLE:
 Size: 4′ x 2′, 2′ x 2′, 4′ x 4′, 4′ x 8′, 4′ x 10′
 Thickness: 1″ (Sizes up to 4′ x 8′) , 1.5″ (4′ x 2′ only) and 2″ ( Sizes up to 4′ x 10′)
 Core in pounds per cubic foot: 1.5, 1.65 and 3 acoustical fiberglass core
 Intended Use: Interior, sound absorption
 Finish: 2-3 mil Heat Sealed PVC (polyvinyl-chloride)
 Suspension Provision: Factory installed Nickel plated Brass Grommets on width edge (Stainless Steel
or Black grommets available upon request)
 Fire Rating: Class 1 or A per ASTM E84 25/0/50
 NRC: 1.00 – 1.15
INSTALLATION METHOD:
 Suspend baffles using coated wire/ties and other fastener as required. (See Installation Guide in
Documents)
 For best results, install this product at the end of your construction project
 Do not install material of unacceptable quality or pre-install suspension hardware (grommet locations
may vary slightly)
 Store material out of direct UV sunlight and maintain at room temperature.

SOUND BAFFLES AND ACOUSTIC BAFFLES