As a teacher, you want your students to succeed. Learn more about tips for choosing the right school headphones for testing and reasons you need them.
As a teacher or technology coordinator, you have a lot to think about on any given day. However, what’s likely top of mind is ensuring your kids have a positive learning experience and get the most out of school.
One aspect that may be more relevant than ever is the rise in technology and the pandemic. Schools are needing to have flexible schedules, including at home learning, and headphones and headsets have become a necessity. At school or at home, headphones can help increase a student’s concentration and productivity and promote a better learning and testing experience. Continue reading to learn more about tips for choosing the right school headphones for testing and the reasons you need them.
Consider Comfort
Your students may be using headphones for an extended period, especially when testing is involved. Therefore, you want to ensure the headphones you choose for them are comfortable and won’t distract them. Testing can be stressful and requires full attention and concentration. Your students will achieve greater results and be happier with the outcome when they can focus on what they’re doing. Over-the-ear designs are typically the most comfortable fit and are ideal for blocking out noise. They may also be a good choice for your school district instead of earbuds because they’re easier to clean. They might last longer too because your students won’t be messing with or adjusting them as much.
Durability
Another factor to take into consideration when choosing the right school headphones for testing is durability. You’ll continue to do testing throughout the years and will need headphones that will hold up over time and with many students. It can be a significant purchase and investment so you want to make sure you’re getting high-quality products. You need headphones that will stand up to wear and tear and constant repositioning. It might be worth paying more and investing in school headphones that are strong and not just a thin piece of plastic. Some other features to consider are ear pad stitching, the thickness of the cord, a steel shaft, and overall flexibility.
Noise Cancellation
These days you never know where students will be learning or test-taking. It may be in a room full of students, from another location, or even at home. In this case, noise cancellation capabilities are essential when choosing the right school headphones for testing. Noises from the surrounding environment can be distracting and cause students to lose track of their thoughts and concentration. It’s also ideal if students need to speak their answers out loud or use their mic. Headphones like this are not only ideal for test taking but might also come in handy while doing other activities or sorts of media in the classroom. This way you’ll have multiple purposes for using your headphones and they’ll be worth your investment. It makes hearing what the student is doing and the information that’s in front of them much easier to digest and pay attention to as well.
Think About Your Budget
It’s no secret that all teachers and school districts have budgets to adhere to. Buying in bulk may help your cause and save you money in the long run. If you need them only for testing then you might consider disposable options. However, remember that there may be multiple uses for headphones inside and outside of the classroom. It’ll likely be in your best interest to purchase headphones that can be used again. You also want good headphones that offer high-quality sound and won’t make learning and test-taking more difficult. If your school is on a tight budget then earbuds for students are a very economical solution for you to consider.
A Better Learning Experience
Ultimately, you want headphones that offer a better and improved learning and test-taking experience. You want the headphones to be a benefit and asset to your classroom and students and not something that’s distracting or doesn’t function well. The good news is that the right headphones can improve focus and concentration. This way your students will perform better at test-taking and everyone will be happier and achieve success together. While every student learns differently, it can likely be assumed that every student will perform better when they’re focusing on what they’re doing and aren’t preoccupied with external noises. Headphones offer students the chance to only worry about themselves and not be preoccupied with trying to keep up or keep pace with others. It’s an opportunity for independent learning and test-taking.
Tips for Success
When choosing the right school headphones for school and testing, always keep the student’s best interest in mind. You want to make sure the headphones you choose are durable, comfortable, and enhance the learning and test-taking experience. Look beyond standardized testing as well and consider how else headphones can be used in the classroom and overall learning environment. Set your students up for success by embracing this technology yourself and then giving your students the opportunity to see how beneficial they truly are. If you decide to purchase a sturdy, long-term headphone, think about having cleaning stations and disinfecting wipes to keep them sanitary and so others can reuse them.
The best course of action you can take is to do your homework and then plan ahead. Think about your school, your student’s needs, and how many tests they’ll be taking throughout the school year. Consider if your headphones will need mics so that students can give oral responses to test questions as well. Look into how the device functions and if it’ll be compatible with your computers and equipment. You don’t want to have to be forced to reorder too soon. Review the numbers before you place an order and anticipate if your school will be growing in the years to come.
Conclusion
These are some tips and pieces of advice that will help you choose the right school headphones for testing. There are obvious benefits to using school headphones. For instance, you may begin to notice better test scores when you eliminate noise distractions from the testing environment. Embrace technology so you can set your students up for success and see them excel at school and their future.
