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FM Systems in the Classroom

The teacher has just asked a question about last night's homework. Wanting to encourage participation from those who rarely raise a hand, she decides to call on Johnny.

"Johnny, can you answer that question?" asks the teacher. Johnny looks up in surprise and embarrassment. He hadn't even known she had asked a question.

This scenario is typical for children with hearing impairment - however slight - because they generally remain silent about their inability to understand the teacher. Like Johnny, they may not even be aware that they have missed a question or other directions. Or they simply pretend they understand. Unfortunately, until the teacher or a family member begins to take notice of the real problem, students like Johnny may be perceived as apathetic or incapable of understanding the material.

Once the child has been identified as having a hearing impairment, immediate steps must be taken to optimize speech understanding, help the student become more confident about participating and enhance the overall learning process in the classroom.

Understanding speech can be extremely challenging for any student because classrooms are, in general, poor acoustical environments.

Fortunately, it is possible to overcome the distance, noise, and reverberation that make speech understanding difficult. FM systems are uniquely equipped to compensate for these obstacles. Even students wearing the most advanced hearing aids can benefit from the improved listening conditions that an FM system offers.

Classroom listening environments present challenges for all students, and particularly those with hearing impairment. But every environmental obstacle can be overcome simply by reducing the distance between the speaker and the listener.

Providing direct sound transmission from the teacher to the student helps improve speech understanding, giving the student more confidence about participating.

PHONIC EAR® FM systems provide this solution without seating restrictions or costly modifications to classroom construction.

An FM system provides direct transmission of speech from the teacher-worn transmitter/microphone to the student worn receiver. Since the teacher's mouth is always only 6 inches (15 centimeters) away from the microphone, the distance between the teacher and students (no matter where they're sitting in the classroom) becomes effectively no more than 6 inches (15 centimeters). Moreover, these FM systems are wireless, so the teacher can move freely around the room or turn to face the chalkboard while effortlessly maintaining the level of her voice to the students. This direct transmission of the teacher's voice to the students' ears overcomes the problem of distance, therefore combating the effects of background noise and reverberation, and easing teacher vocal fatigue.
For more information on FM Systems, click here.