Noise outside the classroom is also an issue.
For example, excessive noise in corridors during exam time
will be a distraction to those undertaking examinations, or it can cause interruptions to normal classroom
teaching.
Of course, it is not just noise generated by students that is of concern in teaching environments. Power tools
and machinery used in teaching, for example in metal or wood-working workshops, noise in music rooms,
and the noise from building services, maintenance and grounds-keeping are also of concern because of the
potential impact of noise-induced hearing loss. And it is not just students that are affected; the Noise at
Work Regulations govern the legal limits for exposure to workers from occupational noise, so all employees
involved in activities that exceed the noise action levels must be protected.
Noise from other students can be a distraction from studies in classrooms.
Noise in corridors during exams or in other quiet zones breaks concentration and affects learning.
Noise in classrooms leads to increased stress and the teacher having to raise their voice louder. It also
leads to a negative feedback loop of noise; to hear what's being said young people have to talk louder
and louder. This could in the long term affect students and teachers hearing.
Noise at work impacts on students from machinery or power tools in college workshops or on
employees from maintenance and grounds keeping works.
Exposure to noise in school music facilities where music teachers and students can be exposed to high
occupational noise levels above legal limits.
Poor classroom acoustics: lots of hard and reflective surfaces bounce noise around.
Humans love music. So much so that we spend over 32 hours listening to music every week. From electric
guitars to nose-flutes, music can be found in every nook and cranny on the globe. In fact, it’s one of the only
remaining cultural universals amongst our species.With this important role that music plays across the world
within our daily lives, it’s surprising to find a general lack of adoption throughout our education system.
Many schools and districts have even placed restrictions on the use of music as a tool for learning in the
classroom. Claiming a distraction, schools have taken measures to block music streaming websites and
access to YouTube, which provides many reputable learning resources. One fact cannot be denounced:
listening to music in inappropriate situations are certainly distracting and detrimental to learning.
However, extensive research tends to point toward the positive in terms of using music in the classroom to
improve learning outcomes. Within the proper context and situation, music can help students learn and
actually enhance learning experiences. While studying music composition and theory certainly has
considerable effects on the human brain, the pure passivity of listening to music also shows profound
benefits for learning.
Humans have a hard time learning when they’re stressed out.
Our brain and body must be a state of calmness to gear up for learning. Studies have shown that using
background music in the classroom provided an increased level of positivity and calmness in students (and
teachers, too!). Students showed normalized levels of body temperature, blood pressure, and pulse rate
translating to reduced anxiety, frustration, and aggressive behavior. Researchers in a 2009 study examined
the effect of music and learning environment in a physiology classroom. Their findings indicated that
playing music consistently throughout the term helped provide emotional support during stressful peaks and
a feeling of safety within the classroom. Music and memory have a powerful, well-established connection
within our brain.
Your favorite childhood song pops on the radio and you’re instantly transported back to those exact feelings
and emotions you’ve previously felt. There’s a reason why you remember all of the lyrics of a song, yet you
can’t remember what you had for breakfast. Those neural connections between music and memory are
strong and enduring. Educators, specifically in the field of science, continue to stress the importance of
students understanding simple vocabulary within a subject before being able to move on to more complex
concepts. A strong, foundational grasp of vocabulary helps students to make relational connections to larger
concepts. Along with textbooks, lectures and in-class activities, content-based songs provide students with
an alternate method of understanding the basics. Research shows that alternate learning methods allow
students opportunities to connect ideas and organize information through their own meaning. This concept
aligns with the constructivist perspective, claiming that content-based songs can help students to build
meaning of in-depth concepts in their own meaning and on their own terms. he word, “engagement,” is
thrown around a lot in the realm students in the classroom. To define the term, engagement is “the student’s
psychological investment in an effort directed toward learning, understanding or mastering the knowledge,
skills or crafts that academic work is intended to promote.” Engagement is critical for learning. When
authentically engaged, students show massive improvements in academic achievement and motivation to
continue learning. The use of daily popular music in the classroom has been shown to engage students by
having to actively seek out meaning to song lyrics and selections. In this study, many students were reported
to be actively singing along, joking about the music, or spending considerable time in thought about the
relation of the song lyrics. One reason why songs and YouTube music videos may help engage students is
due to younger generations intimacy with digital technology. Modern research suggests that educators can
help engage and motivate learning by using methods of familiar technologies. And while proper learning
and instruction techniques are certainly important, sometimes just a single spark of interest and inspiration is
all a student needs. Research suggests that, regardless of instructional technique, students can learn as long
as they are sufficiently motivated and actively engaged in classroom discussions and activities.
