ACOUSTICS



















Classroom acoustics play a dual role: 
they can either enhance learning or inhibit it.










It is useful to refer to these two effects as sound (neutral or positive) and noise (negative). While sound has the ability to improve focus, memory, and emotional regulation, noise can cause stress, mental fatigue, and make it hard for the brain to process and retain information.






When sound is processed, the auditory cortex and prefrontal cortex work together to identify what is important and filter out distractions.  Too much noise forces the brain to work harder, leading to stress and cognitive fatigue. In some cases, noise can even trigger the amygdala to release the stress hormone, cortisol. Alternatively, sound can be used to mask distracting noise, reducing the brain’s work and promoting a calm, regulated state of being.




“Research indicates that high levels of background noise, much of it from heating and cooling systems, adversely affects learning environments, particularly for young children, who require optimal conditions for hearing and comprehension.” 02





Young children are especially sensitive to sound, as their ability to filter noise doesn’t fully develop until their early teenage years. As children build up their vocabularies, their ability to comprehend speech in noisy environments is also limited, making acoustics an even more critical consideration for effective learning. Two methods for improving acoustic conditions in the classroom are buffering unwanted noise and introducing positive sound. 

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At the Aurora International School of the Arts, reading spaces are furnished with soft, sound absorbing beanbag chairs and wood shelves to reduce echo and buffer distracting noises from the outside. The bookshelves help separate quiet spaces from more active spaces, while also buffering noise with the books themselves.




In the supporting teacher’s survey for this manual, over 75% of participants indicated that noise was one of the top three distractions in the classroom.




In an effort to buffer unwanted noise, one teacher from Illinois said, “In my classroom I try to put loud centers near each other and quiet centers near each other. Students aren't able to focus in the library if it's right next to the kitchen.”

Aside from physically separating loud and quiet activities, noise can be buffered with acoustic panels, like Demco’s CalmScape collection. More affordable options are also widely available. Even introducing rugs, fabric-covered bulletin boards, or soft pieces of furniture can make a difference in absorbing unwanted noise and echo. If your classroom has a wall facing a busy street, music class, or the gym, you could also consider reorienting the furniture in the space away from the most distracting zones. 
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Although most of the work that goes into making an acoustically comfortable learning space involves the buffering of unwanted noise, it is also important to consider the small changes you can make to bring positive noise into the classroom. By simply playing calming music or opening the windows to let in sounds of nature, you can help reduce students’ stress and mask out distracting noises. 




“Sound plays an enormous role in how we feel. Think of a dog bark, a car alarm, a slammed door. Think of a baby’s laugh, ocean waves hitting a sandy shore, wind through the trees, your name being said by someone you love. Throughout the day, sound deeply affects your mood and your emotions and knowing this, you can purposefully bring in sounds that help energize you, to spark joy, or to bring calm.”

- Susan Magsamen + Ivy Ross, Your Brain on Art
  1. 4k Stock Videos by Vecteezy
  2. Cannon Design; VS Furniture; Bruce Mau Design. The Third Teacher: 79 Ways You Can Use Design to Transform Teaching & Learning. New York: Abrams, 2010 
  3. https://images.app.goo.gl/y5L81NMT59XR5xT19
  4. https://www.auroraschool.vn/
  5. https://www.demco.com/products/acoustics/calmscape-collection
  6. Magsamen, Susan, and Ivy Ross. Your Brain On Art: How the Arts Transform Us. First edition. New York: Random House, 2023 
           
           all other images are my own illustrations





INTRODUCTION LIGHT
NATURE
ACOUSTICS MOVEMENT
SECURITY
ORDER
COMMUNITY
OWNERSHIP
VARIETY
ACCESSIBILITY
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