Students at Lake Park Elementary are hearing lessons better than ever since Sound Field Amplification Systems (FM) were installed in their classrooms.

The sound system allows a teacher to speak through a microphone worn around her neck while giving instructions and providing lessons. Students also have an opportunity to be heard as they read and speak into the wireless hand-held microphones. Voices are amplified by four wireless speakers that are strategically placed in the ceiling.

Two Lake Park teachers, Kelli Chastain who teaches first grade, and Katherine Bishop, who teaches first through third grade special education, first learned about the classroom sound systems from a newspaper article detailing how another school district had the systems installed.

The teachers worked together to write a grant for sound amplification to be placed in eight Lake Park classrooms. In spring 2006, the systems were purchased using school funds and a Putnam City Public Schools Foundation School Site grant.

"Early childhood classrooms are always filled with language, and many times, the teacher's voice gets lost," explains Bishop. "Now that our teachers have amplification systems, their voices are able to reach out and grab the students' attention."

Chastain agrees.

"The FM system improves sound quality instead of just making the teacher's voice louder. The great thing is the teacher's voice never has to change. How pleasant it is to hear a calm voice that can clearly be heard," she says.

Both teachers have seen a marked difference not only in the attention of their students throughout the day, but also at times when students use the hand-held microphones to either read a story or speak when they are called on in class.

"Their voices don't get lost either," says Bishop.

And the ability level of students isn't a factor. Teachers are delighted in how the sound systems are improving learning.

"This inclusive system is empowering, motivating and engaging for each student," remarks Bishop.

Research shows there is overwhelming evidence that improved classroom sound quality results in better student comprehension, better test scores and far fewer behavioral problems.

Parents have been amazed at the difference the sound system makes during instruction time. They have also experienced the benefits of the system when holiday parties were held and the teacher immediately had the attention of everyone in the classroom.

The teachers also take advantage of the amplification systems by hooking them up to various electronics in the classrooms, such as computers, TVs and CD players.

Bishop and Chastain are continuing to look for funding to increase the number of classrooms at Lake Park that house sound systems. The duo is also assisting other schools in the district by providing details of the grants they received and the capabilities of the sound systems. They credit the school's speech pathologists for being a resource in finding where to purchase the systems.

"The sound system is a powerful tool that could benefit every teacher and student in our district," comments Chastain. "It would be our dream that the district would secure funding, either from MAPS for Kids or bond money, to install a sound amplification system in every classroom."

"We can hear rhyming words when we use the microphone."
—Adrianne

"It helps me from being distracted."
—Keano

"We share stories with it, like the stories we write and you can hear the movies when hooked to the computer."
—Chase

"When we use the microphones, you can hear everybody's voice."
—Zach

"I can hear better."
—Jesse