Better scores for local-language learners
Children in amplified classrooms improve dramatically in literacy growth, spelling and comprehension.
FrontRow improves ESL
comprehension up to 60%
Non-native students have difficulty understanding their teacher even under ideal classroom listening conditions. Background noise and sitting far from the teacher — unavoidable conditions in many classrooms — make it even harder. In fact, the speech perception accuracy and listening effort of children who are not native speakers is similar to children who have 25-40dB hearing losses.
Can a FrontRow sound system overcome these barriers to learning?
That's what Carl Crandell and other researchers at the University of Florida wanted to find out. They tested the word perception of 20 native Spanish speaking students in classrooms with and without a FrontRow sound system.
The result: ESL students in FrontRow classrooms were understanding up to 60% better than children in the non-amplified classrooms. According to Crandell, "amplification significantly improved the perceptual abilities of ESL children."
By ensuring that the teacher's voice is clarified and evenly distributed around the classroom, FrontRow sound systems can be tremendously helpful to English language learners — who have particularly strong speech perception difficulties when seated in the middle or rear of the classroom.
In addition, FrontRow's unique OptiVoice technology makes it even easier to understand. How? It starts with one simple fact: Consonant sounds carry about 75% of the meaning in speech. Unfortunately these very weak consonant sounds get distorted or destroyed by classroom noise. OptiVoice protects vital consonants, so kids easily hear the difference between 'cap' and 'cat'.
FURTHER READING
ESL teachers agree that FrontRow improves listening and learning behaviors.
Student's ability to focus on instruction, pay attention, discriminate auditorilly, and stay on task all show improvement when using a FrontRow system. "Don't take mine away!" says Elyce Longazelle, 4th-grade bilingual teacher at Farmers Branch Elementary in Farmers Branch, Texas. "I use it all the time! Spelling grades have come up!"
