Noisy Classes, Bad Students, Sick Teachers

School classes are noisy. This may be because there are about thirty children there – and not all of them are model students. But most of all, it’s because of the poor acoustics in classrooms. High, relatively bare rooms without carpet have long reverberation times: Spoken language is difficult to understand and the many background noises can be heard for a long time without being muffled. Under such conditions, many students can hardly concentrate. Those who sit awkwardly sometimes have problems understanding teachers at all. Thus, it was shown that students make fewer mistakes in dictation when they can hear the text through headphones, and thus without interference.

Difficulty concentrating

A quiet class has an average noise level of about 52 decibels (dB(A)), while a very loud class can produce up to 100 decibels, according to the Heriot-Watt study by the University of Edinburgh. In Germany, between 50 decibels were measured during quiet work and about 75 decibels during normal teaching periods. In terms of volume, you might as well be teaching on a major road. F

he Workplace Ordinance, however, requires that the volume of predominantly mental activity not exceed 55 decibels, so concentration in class is usually possible only under difficult conditions. At 75 decibels, both students and teachers experience rising blood pressure and accelerated heart rate, and physical stress. Those who want to assert themselves against this noise level have to speak even louder. Voice and throat problems are pre-programmed. A survey showed that 80 percent of teachers feel stressed by classroom noise.

Good acoustics – better performance

The Heriot-Watt University study found that the acoustics in most classrooms are poor. According to the study, many students could only understand their teachers if they tried hard and concentrated hard. It was also interesting that the teachers did not rate the room acoustics so negatively. Communication problems in the classroom were not attributed to the acoustic conditions, but rather to the behavior of the students, lack of discipline or even their own pedagogical competence. It is possible to retrofit rooms acoustically. As part of the study, acoustic ceilings were installed in classes. Students who were taught in classrooms with good acoustics performed significantly better than students in noisy classes. It is not only students who suffer from poor acoustics, but teachers as well. For example, the study found that teachers in classes with good acoustics had significantly fewer sick days than their colleagues. And that’s good for everyone.

Did you know …?

… that the Ordinance on the Protection of Employees from Risks Caused by Noise and Vibrations is now applicable law following approval by the Bundesrat at the end of February? According to it, employers must provide hearing protection from a continuous sound level of 80 decibels. Above 85 decibels, employees are even obliged to use it. The previously possible exemption rules for individual cases no longer exist. In Germany, ears are better protected in the workplace than required by the EU. The latter had set the limit at 87 decibels at the workplace. … that noise accidents occur again and again despite clear rules? In Norway, too, the upper limit for noise exposure in the workplace is 85 decibels. Nevertheless, hearing damage is by far the most common workplace injury, three times more common than skin or respiratory stress. Apparently, noisy workplaces were not sufficiently marked, so that the hearing protection offered remained unused. … that ears are still being damaged in German workplaces as well? Noise-induced hearing loss has led the statistics for recognized occupational diseases for years. In 2004, there were 42,000 noise-related pension cases at the industrial employers’ liability insurance associations alone, for which 162 million euros had to be paid. In addition, around 6,000 new cases of occupational noise-induced hearing loss were reported within the same year, according to the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. … that one in three firefighters has poor hearing? A survey of 3,300 firefighters in Madrid showed that hearing loss ranks second among occupational ailments. The cause is thought to be loud sirens, machinery and equipment. Burns from contact with chemicals ranked first.