The 'Audio' In Audiovisual Learning: Why Sound Is More Important Than You Think
Most websites and applications that we use today include some form of video. The medium has become so ubiquitous that you can learn about almost any topic in the world through them. However, the visuals in videos need an important accompaniment to make them a great way to access information i.e. they need sound. Without rich audio, visual learning remains incomplete.
Let’s try a simple thought experiment to understand the role of sound in learning. If you are watching a slice of bread toasting on a pan, can you guess how hot the pan is if the video is on mute? Or if you’re watching a movie with a steam engine chugging along a track, can you guess how close it is to the destination if you can’t hear the train horn getting louder? The sizzle of the pan and the sound of the train are as important in helping us understand the context as the visuals we see. For any kind of visual learning, the auditory element becomes important to complete the picture.
Sound is a critical part of how we learn. Without it, most educational communication can fall flat. But when leveraged correctly, it can make learning more engaging and intuitive for the learner.
The cognitive role of sound in learning
While each sense plays a key role in learning and interpreting the world, ‘sound’ is often overlooked because it’s not tangible. However, while learning new information, sound becomes a great resource to help us add context.
According to scientists, you hear things 20 to 100 times more rapidly than you see. The brain’s auditory circuits are also wired to areas associated with basic functions, including emotion. Which is why sound, or rather music, to a great degree, can generate specific emotional responses. These properties of sound and music when coupled with life-like visuals can make learning more impactful and memorable.
‘Sound’ learning needs audio
Sound is one of the first things we grasp and learn. Young children can often be seen bouncing or clapping in response to music long before they can speak. Multiple studies have also found that music helps in language acquisition.
One study, in particular, noted that parts of the brain associated with language development, speech perception and reading skills all developed faster when children had musical instruction. Activities that are rich in sound, like playing an instrument or speaking two languages, have been shown to positively impact attention skills as well. Reading aloud to children and verbal storytelling also play an important role in the development of memory and vocabulary.
The rhythm of audiovisual learning
While making learning content at BYJU’S incorporating the right sound in our visual media has been an integral goal. Most of our videos have verbal storytelling that complements the visual explanation of concepts. For our early learners, most concepts are explained through at least one song that brings in a musical element to their learning.
In addition, our large team of sound designers compose, mix and master soundtracks for all our products. There are multiple teams that perform each of these processes in sync. Over time we’ve found that taking a different approach for different age groups and subjects can make learning more engaging for them. For example, in a subject like social studies that students sometimes find dull, using cinematic soundscapes to bring the story to life plays a big role in engagement.
Our teams dabble with various different genres of music, cutting across different instruments and styles, to create the right audio pieces for our animated videos. Sometimes this goes beyond working in a studio to stepping out into the world and capturing ambiences, or background sounds, that make different settings realistic. Everything that you hear in a BYJU’S video is placed there with as much precision as what you see.
The ‘audio’ in audiovisual learning can be vital to creating positive learning outcomes. With technology-enabled learning reaching more students every single day, there is a lot of scope to create rich visual learning experiences powered by sound.
