ABSTRACT
Education departments installed portable ‘demountable’ classrooms, and even ex-military Nissen huts, on many school campuses as a temporary measure to meet the unprecedented demand. Educationalist Henry Schoenheimer’s advice on ‘good’ and ‘bad’ educational soundscapes was couched in terms of student creativity and productivity, and of the need for active student participation in the acquisition of skills and knowledge. The ratio between teacher and student talk had to be carefully calibrated, with ‘quiet time’ seen as a positive step in learning rather than a punitive check by the teacher on student oral expression or a time of ‘confusion.’ Rising auditory levels were linked to student inattention and potential learning difficulties, while the ‘noisy classroom’ was perceived as the site of heightened psychological stress for teachers. Children were required to sit quietly in the classroom and listen carefully to a radio set, usually located on the teacher’s desk at the front of the room, just as they were expected to listen to their teacher.
