Classroom Acoustics—a Surprisingly Fast Fix

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 4^th 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.

This is the perfect time of year to focus on improving classroom acoustics. Here is an overview of two of our offerings that are particularly effective in school settings. Both are highly customizable and available within four weeks.

S-2000 Standard Panels provide an NRC rating of up to 1.15. They are specifically designed as a multi-purpose absorber panel and are an especially economical way to resolve reverberant noise problems. You can choose from natural or chemically hardened edges in four profiles, and standard or custom sizes up to a maximum of 4’ x 10’. They can be customized with a slew of fabric and color options from Guilford of Maine, DESIGNTEX, Knoll Textiles, Maharam, Hytex, Luna Textiles or Carnegie Fabrics.

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S-2100 High Impact / Tackable Panels are ideal for high-traffic environments requiring superior acoustical performance. These panels are constructed using a 1/8”, 16-20# PCF layer that is bonded to a rigid 6-7# PCF absorptive core. Like the Standard Panels described above, they, too, are offered in custom sizes up to a maximum of 4’ x 10’ and have four edge profiles to choose from. Likewise, they can be customized with a number of fabrics from leading manufacturers.

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