The Washington County Riverboat Foundation recently awarded Washington Community Schools a $2000 grant for Classroom Audio Enhancement. With the grant, three classrooms (1-Stewart, 1-Lincoln, 1-WJHS) are piloting enhanced audio through amplification of instruction. The teacher wears a wireless microphone that amplifies through speakers into a surround sound system.
The thinking behind the process is that the limitations of childrens' brains and coping skills -- plus the obstacles of noise and distance from the teacher combine to erode speech perception, attention, behavior, and overall classroom performance. Audio enhancement makes for even sound no matter where the teacher is in the classroom, helping students to be better learners.
In the picture above the teacher can be seen wearing the wireless microphone.