Advantages of Classroom FM Systems

Back-to-school season is both exciting and stressful for children. The joy of seeing classmates after summer vacation combines with worry about the unknown: Who’s my teacher? Will classes be difficult? Am I going to do well? Hearing-impaired children face additional concerns about being unable to understand the teacher’s instructions or their classmates’ questions, in addition to the fear of being unable to communicate in the classroom.

Schools are extremely noisy environments, whether the student is in the hallway, the lunchroom or the classroom. Many studies have shown that children need a higher signal-to-noise ratio than adults to perform in the same noisy situation. A positive signal-to-noise ratio means that the speech is clearer than the noise. This helps the listener detect and understand the speech. Hearing aids may not be enough to ensure optimal understanding in a school environment.

Many factors affect the signal-to-noise ratio in schools. Most schools were designed without accounting for the acoustics of classrooms, gyms and lunchrooms. There are few carpets and curtains to dampen ambient noise, so the sounds bounce off walls and hard surfaces, creating echoes that make speech and sound in general much less clear.

The distance between the child and the teacher also affects the signal-to-noise ratio; the farther away the child is, the less likely they are to understand. Finally, the noise in classrooms doesn’t just come from students yelling, laughing and talking, but also from footsteps and chairs moving. All of this can further lower the signal-to-noise ratio.

Combined, these factors cause lots of problems and miscommunications for hearing-impaired children at school, which has a direct impact on their learning and development.

FM systems work with an emitter and a receiver. The receiver is paired with hearing aids to receive signals from the emitter, which is worn or carried by the teacher, or placed in the middle of a table during group work. The emitter captures the speech and sends it directly to the receiver paired with the hearing aids, without interference. As a result, hearing-impaired children are better able to understand speech in noisy environments, no matter how far away they are from the speaker.

Some FM systems also have different modes on the emitter that can tailor the level of noise reduction to the environment. FM systems can also be plugged into electronics like TVs, stereo systems or computers to improve listening in all situations without having to raise the volume or interrupt conversations.

All of this means that, when paired with hearing aids, FM systems can help hearing-impaired children to communicate better in school and ease their back-to-school anxiety.