Do you remember Charlie Brown’s teacher, Miss Othmar? Surely, if you ever watched a Peanuts cartoon, you’re presently imagining her voice. The tonality likely isn’t just in the student’s imagination—we’d argue that Miss Othmar’s classroom was lacking an element that could have transformed her mumbling into articulate lectures.
Studies have shown that children in classrooms in developed countries only understand about 75% of all lectures delivered to them. Stop and think about that for a moment—this means that every 4th word or 25% of all material delivered is missed. The culprit? Reverberation.
Reverberation is a result of sound waves reflecting off hard surfaces. Most classrooms include windows, chalkboards, gypsum ceilings and desks—all hard surfaces capable of reflecting sound and creating an inaudible blend. By adding soft materials, like acoustic panels, reverberation can be reduced, helping to improve student focus and learning.
