During my time in the classroom, I had many students approach me to request the classroom environment be quieter. Many students had study carrels to reduce distractions or noise deafening headsets. In my experience, I have never had a student request that the noise in the classroom be raised to help them learn.

Students do enjoy sharing their new ideas and learning with their teacher and fellow classmates, this inherently becomes a social aspect of learning. According to Ravi, moderate classroom noise supports students creativity. Low levels of noise and high levels of noise are too distracting to benefit creativity, but moderate levels distract a students fixation on an idea and create a pathway for creativity (Ravi, 2012).  With a moderate level of noise, individuals need to have a higher level of concentration resulting in the conception of creativity (Ravi, 2012).

Playing quiet, meditative music while transitioning into the classroom is a strategy I have observed across the elementary panel. The quiet music seems to have minds on effect and prepare students for their learning. Students working in groups, sharing their ideas and discussing a plan or the next step is the basis of collaboration. Oral discussion and collaboration breeds creativity, students are able to build off of one another’s ideas and stretch their individual thought process.  

I would suggest that learning and creativity are two very different concepts. The effects of noise on learning may be very different than the effects of noise on creativity. If a student is learning to read, they don’t necessarily need to be creative. If a student is completing a formal summative assessment, creativity may not be the priority. These independent learning situations may not benefit from noise, but rather be hindered by noise. According to Treasure (2012), a noisy classroom negatively affects student learning.

It seems that moderate noise has a positive effect on creativity but can negatively affect learning. I would argue that students learn through social and collaborative situations where moderate levels of noise are required. Module 7 was about building future of learning centred built environments, teachers will need to be aware of the need for moderate noise to benefit student learning as well as the necessary times when students will need to have a quiet work environment to best learn.

Refrences

Ravi, M. (2012), Is noise always bad? Exploring the effects of ambient noise on creative cognition. Journal of Consumer Research 39(4)4 784 -799. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/665048

Treasure, J. (2012, June). Why architects need to use their ears. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/julian_treasure_why_architects_need_to_use_their_ears?language=en