MirandaNet

1. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
Listening to Learn: Reflections on
Creating an Effective Learning
Environment – LightSpeed
Technologies
Dr Sarah Younie
Director of Research & Innovation at MirandaNet
Reader in Education, Innovation & Technology at De
Montfort University, UK

2. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
An Evaluation of Classroom Audio Distribution
Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Lightspeed - associate of the MirandaNet
Fellowship of Educators (www.mirandanet.ac.uk)
• Professional network founded in 1992 –
– has 1,000 members in 80 countries
• Collaborative research MirandaNet & Lightspeed
• Roger Turner -Lightspeed Technologies education
consultant draw on advice from the MirandaNet
Fellowship

3. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
An Evaluation of Classroom Audio Distribution
Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Research - impact of Lightspeed Technology’s Redcat and
Flexcat CAD (classroom audio distribution) systems
• in schools in England between 2008-2014
• First phase: school-based action research in 2008-09 to
investigate the impact Redcat soundfield system on
teaching & learning.
• Redcat system represented the first evolution of Lightspeed
technology in this area.
• This was followed up with the development of the Flexcat
system, which was implemented in schools in 2013 and led
to the next stage of research.

4. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
An Evaluation of Classroom Audio Distribution
Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Methodology - multi site case study approach
• 14 schools, seven primary and seven secondary
• four west London boroughs & Devon
• initial Redcat research in 2008-09
• Data collection methods:
– Classroom observations
– Questionnaires – pupils and teachers
– Teacher interviews

5. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
An Evaluation of Classroom Audio Distribution
Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Research issues:
• Generalisability, reliability and validity
• Triangulation
• Findings: – phase 1 and 2
• questionnaires returned from:
• 58 teachers and 554 pupils

6. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
An Evaluation of Classroom Audio Distribution
Technology for Teaching and Learning
• The main findings demonstrated:
• improved hearing and understanding of teacher
instructions;
• improved on-task behaviour;
• improved attention and engagement in
discussion activities;
• improved ability to follow directions;
• improved self-confidence of pupils when
speaking to the whole class.

7. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
An Evaluation of Classroom Audio Distribution
Technology for Teaching and Learning
• For teachers, the key benefits of the system were
judged to have been:
• less repetition of instructions;
• less vocal fatigue and tiredness;
• improved ability to control and manage the class;
leading to better behaviour;
• more time to support individual and small groups
of learners.

8. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
An Evaluation of Classroom Audio Distribution
Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Summary of Lightspeed research findings:
• strongly support those of previous research
• show that 90 percent of teachers agree that
• their pupils were able to hear and understand
them better when using the technology
– > importance of learning environment in promoting
learning & equipping classrooms with appropriate
technology

9. www.mirandanet.ac.uk Thought leaders in ICT
An Evaluation of Classroom Audio Distribution
Technology for Teaching and Learning
• Researcher: Roger Turner, Director RDT Consultancy
• Academic Evaluators: Prof Christina Preston, Director
of MirandaNet
• Dr Sarah Younie, Director of Research and Innovation
at MirandaNet and Reader in Education, Innovation
and Technology at De Montfort University, UK