In short, (you guessed it!) by improving acoustics A masters thesis from last year by Petra Lagerberg and Sebastian Holm at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm KTH examined if an improved acoustic environment in schools can have positive socio-economic effects. Their study shows that an improved sound environment makes classes more efficient and that the total […]
Education
New revised Acoustics of Schools : a design guide in UK
This document jointly published by the Institute of Acoustics (IOA) and the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) is designed to accompany the revised performance standards for the acoustic design of schools published by the Department for Education in December 2014 (White cover below). This latest document is a revision of the guidance previously published in 2003 as Sections 2 […]
A sound environment for learning – is a must have!
NBCS Sydney Focusing on learning rather than teaching, changes almost everything we know about a school set up and organization but it is not an easy change. By Mie Guldbaek Broens, LOOP.bz I work with observing, studying and developing educational environments that are changing from a system where predominantly teaching is taking place, to an organisation […]
New Bond movie is quieter than many school canteens
Post by Swedish sound expert and blogger Jonas Christensson. The new Bond movie, Spectre, premiered a little while back and as I’m interested in sound, I measured the sound levels when I attended the premiere at my local cinema and was surprised that the sound level was 70 dB(A); less than many Swedish school canteens! It’s difficult […]
Designing for Special Educational Needs (SEN)
A 10 step guide by Adrian James, BB93 committee member The new BB93 Acoustic design of schools, sets out performance standards for schools in England and Wales. In this guest contribution post, Adrian James, a BB93 committee member, addresses the question many asked at the recent Acoustics and Noise Consultants conference in Birmingham, and which has caused […]
EU project aims to improve inclusion of hearing impaired children
iCARE (improving Children’s Auditory REhabilitation) is an EU supported project involving several partners ranging from researchers to businesses to teachers and parental organisations, and aims to facilitate synergies across disciplines in order to improve the lives of children with hearing disabilities. The EU promotes the active inclusion and full participation of disabled people in society. Due […]
Acoustic guide for design of French Kindergartens, Day Care Centres and Nurseries
The French National Noise Council (CNB) has published a guide for designers to nurseries, kindergartens and Day Care, to help them take better account of the sound environment in these institutions During the 7th National Conference on quality of the sound environment in Lyon, Segolene Royal, Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, expressed the […]
Kids with special needs need more than acoustic standards
Intervention study about behaviour and acoustics In January 2015 Ecophon and LOOP.bz started an intervention study at Søgårdsskolen in Gentofte municipality in Denmark. This school is a public school for kids with social cognitive challenges and learning disabilities (ADHD, autism, brain damage, Downs and others). With this group of children it is not possible to […]
Sound Advice – from the Ear Foundation
Hearing loss is one of the world’s most common disabilities and yet one of the least supported. Fortunately, in the UK there is somewhere to go for help. Nottingham’s Ear Foundation has a dedicated team of support professionals, including audiologists, educators, signing tutors and researchers as well as speech and language therapists. The charity provides the […]
Do classroom acoustics work for today’s activities?
Recent and ongoing debates about the PISA Study Results and educational outcomes in Sweden have led to a focus on the suitability of the acoustic environment for today’s teaching and learning activities. Some renowned Swedish academics have questioned the suitability of present day classroom acoustics for today’s education and suggest a different room acoustic approach […]
