![](https://teachlogic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Masks-Muffle-Teachers-BG.png)
Masks Muffle Teachers’ Voices
Microphones Amplify Volume and Boost Clarity
Masks create an additional barrier to student comprehension.
The average listening accuracy of students in a normal classroom configuration is 80%. When you factor in a room’s acoustics, distance from the teacher, and background noise, the average student hears at a B- grade. Masks make the existing situation even worse.
Average Room Noise Level: ~50dB
Level Students Need to Clearly Hear Audio: +15 dB above the noise (~65 dB)
Teacher's voice level as it travels across the room
3 Feet | 6 Feet | 12 Feet | 24 Feet | |
---|---|---|---|---|
NO MASK | 65 dB | 59 dB | 53 dB | 47 dB |
N95 MASK | 60 dB | 54 dB | 48 dB | 42 dB |
2-LAYER CLOTH MASK | 57 dB | 51 dB | 45 dB | 39 dB |
Sound decreases 6 dB every time distance doubles. Even a loud “teacher voice” is too low by the second row.
Audio Problems Hurt Academic Performance
According to the Centers for Disease and Control (CDC), about 15% of children ages 6 to 19 have hearing loss of at least 16 decibels in one or both ears.
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association stresses the importance of getting treatment, reporting that students with mild to moderate hearing loss who do not receive intervention typically fall behind their peers by 1 to 4 grade levels.
![Teachers Voice](https://teachlogic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Teachers-Voice-800x800.png)
Audio Problems Hurt Teachers
Teachers who work in schools with noisy classrooms must constantly raise their vocal volume in response to varying levels of background noise, causing vocal strain.
![students noisy classroom](https://teachlogic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/students-noisy-classroom.png)
The Lombard Effect
Student behavior-related disruptions are often a result of an involuntary effort to raise one’s voice to combat background noise and to be heard.
![Voice Strain 1](https://teachlogic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Voice-Strain-1-800x800.png)
Vocal Strain
As a result of projection and repetition, 65% of teachers experience voice-related health issues during a typical school year.
![Laptop](https://teachlogic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Laptop.gif)
The pandemic has impacted how students hear instructional audio.
- When the teacher wears a mask or moves off camera, students are unable to read lips. This is detrimental to language comprehension for young students and those with a hearing impartment, as they rely on seeing the teacher’s mouth to help process language.
- Schools need technology solutions that synchronize in-person and online environments so all students have equitable access to instructional audio.
“In my eighteen years of teaching I have found using a microphone in the classroom as one of the most helpful tools. Using a microphone makes collaboration and group work easier to manage. English Language Learners can hear my instruction more clearly; I have found they follow directions better and turn in higher quality work because they have a clearer understanding of what I’m trying to teach. I used to get sick at the beginning of every year because of overusing my voice, but that has changed with the microphone. I can speak normally and students are able to clearly hear.”
– Jamie Yorba, Teacher & AVID Program Coordinator, San Marcos, CA
When Teachers Use Microphones
A microphone lifts the teacher’s natural voice to help with classroom management while increasing intelligibility, which also decreases the need for repetition.
gains in Math and Reading.
increase in on-task behavior.
gains in comprehension for ELL students.
Microphones are a simple, effective way to ensure that every student can hear and learn.
Get an audio system in your classroom today.
See a case study on how a school used TeachLogic to support hybrid learning.
![Students Ask](https://teachlogic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Students-Ask-240x240.png)
Ask your school: “How are we ensuring every student has equitable access to all instructional audio both in-class and online?”
![Teachers Ask](https://teachlogic.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Teachers-Ask-240x240.png)
Teachers: Check out our audio systems, or share this page with your school administrators and/or technologists.