"Can you hear me now?", "If you hear my voice clap once", "If you hear my voice clap twice". These phrases are all to common in my classroom. With over 120 students rotating through what seems like a revolving door, there is a lot of noise on a daily basis.
We have all seen the mobile phone commercials where the gentleman asks, "Can you hear me now?".
This is a question I feel that I am asking my students too often. With upwards of 38 students in one classroom, the noise level can get high at times.
As a teacher of both GATE students and students with mild to moderate disabilities, I work with some of the highest and lowest performing students on campus. Most of my students have been identified as having some special needs, whether placement in the GATE program or receiving special education services, all of my students are unique individuals with specific goals and educational needs.
For many of my students, attention is an issue. Children in general tend to get easily distracted and often tune out their teachers when there is background noise or the content becomes too difficult. Once attention has shifted away from the teacher or speaker, it is at times next to impossible to pull their focus back in.
My Project
A microphone system would allow myself and my students to use our normal voices with a wireless microphone while the audience receives the information loudly and clearly from speakers placed around the room. One of the most common impediments for students while listening is distraction. Students see movements in their peripheral vision, hear whispering around the room and sense chairs moving in and out, easily causing them to lose focus from the teacher's instruction. A microphone system can reduce children's sensitivity to distractions. Integrating a microphone system would also increase student interaction and participation. Students who cannot hear and understand clearly what is being asked of them often lack the confidence to participate in classroom discussions. As we transition to Common Core Standards, student will be expected to respond orally during classroom discussions more often. When a child cannot hear instructions or content, they are more reluctant to participate.
In addition to improved student reception of content and student responses, the use of a microphone system would help eliminate some of the anxiety often found in a classroom setting.
Studies have shown that every time the distance from the teacher to the child is double, the audio level is cut in half. There are only so many "seats in the front". With a microphone, all students would be able to hear as if they were sitting front and center.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Spehar and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
