MANCHESTER MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL RECEIVES DONATION FOR SOUNDFIELD SYSTEMS
(Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA) – Manchester Memorial Elementary School Principal John Willis is excited to announce that classroom sound amplification systems (soundfield systems) will be implemented in all ten K-2 classrooms later this year thanks to an anonymous gift from a local, family-based trust. This trust has remained anonymous although the group has supported education in Manchester-by-the-Sea for over fifty years! Soundfield systems were first developed twenty years ago as a support for children with various disabilities. As they were introduced to support children in the general education classroom, their potential contribution to all children in classrooms became increasingly evident. The classroom systems increase the intelligibility of speech by clearly amplifying the words of the person speaking. This includes both the voice of teachers and the voice of students who are sharing their ideas and strategies using a hand-held microphone. The speaker’s voice is transmitted wirelessly to a non-directional speaker installed in the room to deliver consistent, even sound regardless of where children are seated. In simple terms, it makes every seat in a classroom feel like “front and center.”
The purpose of a classroom soundfield system is to ensure that the teacher’s voice is clearly audible above background noise since how well children hear instruction directly affects how well they learn. The more that students can hear, the less “filling in the gaps” they need to do as they attempt to comprehend instruction. At MMES, this sound “boost” has been beneficial for children with unique auditory needs (e.g. students who struggle with auditory processing issues, attention, etc.), but all students have shown benefits from the ability to better focus on what their teacher and peers are saying.
“Research indicates that soundfield technology has a positive impact on student achievement and classroom climate. We have piloted a handful of systems this year in grades PK-5” said Principal Willis. “The teachers who have tried the systems out have found it to be very effective on several levels – helping students with certain auditory needs but also in overall classroom outcomes as students are better able to maintain focus and follow instruction. The generosity of the Manchester community, in particular the anonymous donor, is astounding! We are thrilled to be able to offer our students this kind of proven, progressive technology. Currently, we are looking for a funding source or benefactor(s) to expand our implementation to grades 3-5 and specialists.”
MMES and Essex Elementary School Staff are working collaboratively to write grants and explore funding options to implement this great technology in all PK-5 classrooms district wide. Thank you to the Manchester-by-the-Sea community and the Manchester-Essex School Committee for their continued support!
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