The Role of Clear Audio in Supporting English Learners

Written By Evelyn St James |

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A student is in class wearing headphones and using a laptop with CLEAR Connect on it while a teacher is giving a lesson.

What if the biggest classroom language barrier isn't language at all... but hearing?


English may not be the most difficult language to learn, but it certainly isn't the easiest. Even native English speakers struggle to learn the basics of English grammar, commonly misusing or misspelling words like the infamous trio: "their/there/they're." Along with the complexities of learning vocabulary, spelling, and sentence structure comes an additional challenge when words are taken off the page: pronunciation and tonality, or, in other words, phonology.

According to Webster's, phonology is the science of speech sounds. According to experts, phonology is "essential for language learning because it helps children understand the sound structure of language."

As the game of Telephone taught many of us as children, a slight change in the sound of a word or phrase can alter an entire message. Are they walking from home or working from home? Was the class empty, or the glass empty? The word "colonel" is pronounced how?

Now, a native English speaker can probably connect the dots and understand the message given the context of a conversation, but newcomers to the English language may experience more difficulty reading (and speaking) between the lines.

Apply this to a classroom setting, where a child is not only learning English but also several topics every day. The exhaustion and embarrassment that can come with the overwhelming experience of learning a new language in real time can be, well, overwhelming. So, how can an educator ensure their lessons come across clearly, not only for English Learners, but for all students?

Well, that's where Audio Enhancement® comes in.


Why Audio Enhancement®?


Studies have shown that audio can aid education by helping students improve in areas such as pronunciation, participation, and overall learning. For English Learners in particular, clear audio in the classroom can enhance English comprehension. It also provides clear audio to the entire class, not just the students sitting in the front rows.

Not only does Audio Enhancement® offer a solution to a lack of speech clarity, but it also gives teachers the opportunity to engage with their English-learning students through CLEAR Connect™, a real-time translation and transcription solution that integrates seamlessly with the classroom audio system.

CLEAR Connect™ allows educators and students the opportunity to communicate with each other across nearly 200 languages, helping ensure that language doesn't become a barrier to accessing the same educational opportunities as the rest of the class.

After all, the foundation of learning is language.

Learn more about classroom audio and CLEAR Connect™ by visiting the "Products" tab.


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