Noise Levels in the Classroom

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Establishing the amount and type of noise in the classroom is important to define in
Intro
- talk about what impacts the noise (RT/SNR/background noise level)
Noise present in a school building is expected. Learning is not a tranquil activity, and classrooms are therefore inundated with both internal and external noise. Internal noise is defined as noise within the school. This consists of students within the classroom and walking the hallways, HVAC systems,______. External noise is defined as any noise that is outside of the school building. This is commonly referred to as transportation noise, as the noise sources are trains, planes, and automobiles. Industrial and construction noise can also contribute to external noise.
In order to better define the noise present in a classroom, we must look at the classroom acoustics when the classroom is unoccupied and compare that to when the classroom is occupied. Acoustic standards recommended that maximum background noise levels for classrooms smaller than 10,000 ft3 do not exceed 35 dBA. Reverberation time (RT) should not exceed 0.6 seconds (ANSI SOURCE). Sadly, many classrooms do not meet this recommendation. Knecht, et. al recorded background noise levels and reverberation time in 32 unoccupied classrooms in eight public school buildings. Noise levels ranged from 34.4 to 65.9 dBA with only four classrooms meeting the ANSI standard. Reverberation time measured ranged from 0.2 to 1.27 seconds. Thirteen classrooms met the RT guidelines set by ANSI (Knecht). It is imperative that classrooms meet unoccupied guidelines as the noise levels only increase with the addition of students and teachers.
Little research has been conducted to measure noise levels during the school day. ...

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...ting the walls as well as around the windows. Furthermore, having the landscapers mow the lawn when school is not in session will help keep outside noise levels down.
Sound-field systems can be installed in the classroom to help create a better listening environment for students. Dockrell and Shield installed speakers into classrooms in eight schools and compared student’s achievement to classrooms without sound-field systems.

Define what noise can be present
How this noise can impact children in speech recognition and learning what can be done about it conclusion - discuss/wrap up more about age impact

A collaborative approach is needed to fix what is wrong.

If you need more content:

On the perception of speech in primary school classrooms: Ranking of noise interference and of age influence article - to be used after occupied noise levels paragraph

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