{"id":555,"date":"2011-08-15T12:21:54","date_gmt":"2011-08-15T19:21:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/?p=555"},"modified":"2025-07-21T16:58:56","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T23:58:56","slug":"does-lighting-in-the-classroom-affect-student-concentration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/newsfeed\/does-lighting-in-the-classroom-affect-student-concentration\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways Lighting Affects Students in the Classroom (and What to Do About it)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"intro-series-mobile\">\n<div id=\"thb_posts_widget-1\" class=\"widget style1 thb_widget_posts\">\n<div class=\"thb-widget-title\" style=\"text-align:left; margin: 20px 0 30px;\"><span>Tales From Sales<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"post thumbnail-style4  post-9565 type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-stories thb-post-share-style3\">\n<figure class=\"post-gallery\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/stories\/tales-from-sale-andre-kibbe\/\"><img width=\"740\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=740\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tales-03-740x600.jpg\" class=\"attachment-theissue-squaresmall-x2 size-theissue-squaresmall-x2 thb-lazyload wp-post-image lazyautosizes lazyloaded\" alt=\"Alcon Lighting sales consultant sits in an office in Southern California\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" sizes=\"368px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=740\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tales-03-740x600.jpg\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=740\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tales-03-740x600.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=370\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tales-03-740x600.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=20\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tales-03-740x600.jpg 20w\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=740\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tales-03-740x600.jpg 740w, https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=370\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tales-03-740x600.jpg 370w, https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=20\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/tales-03-740x600.jpg 20w\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"thumbnail-style4-inner\">\n<div class=\"post-title\">\n<h6 style=\"font-size:13px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/stories\/tales-from-sale-andre-kibbe\/\" title=\"Tales from Sales: Andre Kibbe\"><span>Tales from Sales: Andre Kibbe<\/span><\/a><\/h6>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"thb-post-bottom\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"post-date\">November 25, 2024<\/li>\n<li class=\"post-read\">10 mins Read<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/aside><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Studies confirm that the blue light emitting from smart phones, tablets, and computers may\u00a0hinder sleep patterns. It\u2018s also been found that the blue light\u00a0adversely affects mood. So, does blue light impact\u00a0how one\u00a0performs in school?<\/p>\n<p>When\u00a0it comes to the role of lighting\u00a0in the classroom, having the right form of light is fundamental to the student\u2019s ability to concentrate.<\/p>\n<p>Fluorescent lights plague many classrooms. This is because the flickering of fluorescent lights, as well as poor release of lighting, interferes with the\u00a0student\u2019s concentration. However, dynamic LED lights are\u00a0an ideal replacement because they don&#8217;t flicker like fluorescent lights and can also offer better lighting overall.<\/p>\n<p>Here are three ways that lighting in the classroom can affect the student in the classroom.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><strong>1. Mood and Concentration<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Walk into most classrooms today and you\u2019ll notice that fluorescent lights line the ceiling. Despite advances in lighting technology, these dated lights have remained the same.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, fluorescent light flickering is\u00a0linked to not only lack of concentration aMing\u00a0students, but also to\u00a0mood. One 2009 study from a sample of 90 U.K. schools found that an \u201cimperceptible 100 Hz flicker from fluorescent lighting\u201d inside classrooms can cause \u201cdiscomfort and impair task performance\u201d (Winterbottom 2009).<\/p>\n<p>LED lights are an alternative\u00a0to fluorescent lights for schools seeking\u00a0to\u00a0combat poor concentration.<\/p>\n<p>When we think of waking up and being productive, people tend to think a yellow light is what matches the sun. However, it&#8217;s actually the\u00a0blue light that emanates from the sun in the morning which\u00a0induces\u00a0the feeling of being awake and ready for the day.<\/p>\n<p>6,500 Kelvin (K) lighting is considered \u2018cool\u2019 and most closely resembles sunlight that\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/newsfeed\/considering-led-lighting-classrooms-brighter-may-lead-better-futures\/\">ideal for a productive environment<\/a>\u00a0in which students take tests. 3,500 K lighting, which is much \u2018warmer\u2019 with tones of yellow, is ideal for recess as it provides a more relaxed environment. 5,000 K lighting is \u2018neutral\u2019; ideal for activities such as\u00a0reading.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epsomandewellhighschool.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Epsom and Ewell High School<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the first school in the U.K.\u00a0to have a classroom lighting system, <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.lighting.philips.com\/main\/systems\/packaged-offerings\/office-and-industry\/schoolvision\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Philips\u2019s SchoolVision<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is specifically designed to improve the learning environment for pupils using dynamic LED lighting.\u00a0A study of this U.K.\u00a0high school indicates that the implemented lighting system has had a positive impact on student concentration levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">2. Academic Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It might not seem like a\u00a0big deal, but, as mentioned, lighting is important. Classrooms with LED lighting instead of fluorescent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osapublishing.org\/oe\/fulltext.cfm?uri=oe-24-10-A907&amp;id=340246\">actually score higher on tests<\/a> and show a higher level of concentration.<\/p>\n<p>Students show increased productivity during tests when given the opportunity to work under 6,500 K lighting than students working under fluorescent lights.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.epsomandewellhighschool.com\/\">The Epsom and Ewell High School<\/a>\u00a0discovered similar results after installing SchoolVision.\u00a0City University London carried out a series of standard D2 tests, which measure concentration, as well as focus group research with teachers and pupils. This research shows that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Year seven pupils in one SchoolVision classroom increased\u00a0test scores by 17 points<\/li>\n<li>Year seven pupils in the other SchoolVision classroom improved test\u00a0scores by 40 points<\/li>\n<li>A control group demonstrated no improvement in concentration levels over the same time frame<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These findings echo those from other research into the effects of the SchoolVision lighting system. A yearlong study in a primary school in Hamburg, Germany found that, with the SchoolVision lighting system, student reading speeds increased by 35 percent, frequency of errors fell by almost 45 percent and restlessness was reduced by 75 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Not only did\u00a0concentration improve, so dI\u2019d\u00a0test scores. Studies by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osapublishing.org\/oe\/abstract.cfm?uri=oe-24-10-A907\">The Optical Society (OSA)<\/a> show that dynamic lighting improves student\u00a0classroom performance. When lighting was at 6,500 K, students scored higher on tests and performed better. Reading activities were ideal in a 3,500 K environment.<\/p>\n<p><strong style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">3. Alertness<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Remember coming in from recess, full of energy, and the teacher wheeled out a\u00a0TV\u00a0and turned off the fluorescent lights? This signaled for us that it was time to calm down and get ready for another\u00a0lesson.<\/p>\n<p>Putting lighting into teacher control can help students focus on learning. For example, a\u00a0presentation at the front of the classroom can be more effective by giving the instructor the option to adjust classroom\u00a0lights according to location of lights, not only the\u00a0type of light being usee. Keeping lights on at the front of the room\u00a0can highlight the lesson.<\/p>\n<p>Though some schools are taking action to change fluorescent lights to more adjustable LED lights, schools have\u00a0a long way to go toward making progress on improved lighting. Costs for positive lighting\u00a0adjustments need not be exorbitant. Consider certain\u00a0cost and expense analysis when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/learning-lab\/benefits-of-led-office-light-fixtures\/\">transitioning from fluorescent to LED lighting<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Simply changing lighting in\u00a0a learning environment can markedly improve\u00a0education. As classrooms advance, teachers\u00a0everywhere should expect to be\u00a0as excited as students to realize\u00a0the\u00a0benefits of a well-lit space.<\/p>\n<p>The potential reward is the brighter student.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tales From Sales Tales from Sales: Andre Kibbe November 25, 2024 10 mins Read Studies confirm that the blue light emitting from smart phones, tablets, and computers may\u00a0hinder sleep patterns. It\u2018s also been found that the blue light\u00a0adversely affects mood. So, does blue light impact\u00a0how one\u00a0performs in school? When\u00a0it comes to the role of lighting\u00a0in&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[314],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"ppma_author":[773],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.13 (Yoast SEO v20.13) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3 Ways Lighting Affects Students in the Classroom (and What to Do About it) &mdash; Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/newsfeed\/does-lighting-in-the-classroom-affect-student-concentration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3 Ways Lighting Affects Students in the Classroom (and What to Do About it)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tales From Sales Tales from Sales: Andre Kibbe November 25, 2024 10 mins Read Studies confirm that the blue light emitting from smart phones, tablets, and computers may\u00a0hinder sleep patterns. It\u2018s also been found that the blue light\u00a0adversely affects mood. So, does blue light impact\u00a0how one\u00a0performs in school? When\u00a0it comes to the role of lighting\u00a0in&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/newsfeed\/does-lighting-in-the-classroom-affect-student-concentration\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-15T19:21:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-21T23:58:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=1280\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/charterschool.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"828\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David Hakimi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/Itspaedae\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David Hakimi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"3 Ways Lighting Affects Students in the Classroom (and What to Do About it) &mdash; Insights","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/newsfeed\/does-lighting-in-the-classroom-affect-student-concentration\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"3 Ways Lighting Affects Students in the Classroom (and What to Do About it)","og_description":"Tales From Sales Tales from Sales: Andre Kibbe November 25, 2024 10 mins Read Studies confirm that the blue light emitting from smart phones, tablets, and computers may\u00a0hinder sleep patterns. 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David strives for efficiency in lighting, affording architects, lighting designers and engineers the ability to maximize LED lighting design and application. David is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a Bachelors in history. David also studied lighting design at IES in Los Angeles. He traces his and Alcon Lighting\u2019s commitment to innovation, accountability, quality and value to lessons learned from his father, Mike Hakimi, a lighting craftsman, salesman and consultant in Southern California for more than four decades. Today\u2019s lighting for commercial use requires a deep, complete understanding of smart lighting systems and controls. David takes pride in his lighting, energy controls and design knowledge. He is driven by the desire to share his insights into lighting specification and application. This quest to share his knowledge was the impetus for David to create Insights, Alcon Lighting\u2019s blog and resource center for helping the reader understand lighting and its application to space.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/david-p-hakimi\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/Itspaedae"],"url":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"modified_by":"David Hakimi","authors":[{"term_id":773,"user_id":1,"is_guest":0,"slug":"admin","display_name":"David Hakimi","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=90\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/David-Hakimi-Alcon-Lighting-Inc.-1-1-90x90.png","url2x":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,format=webp,quality=80,width=180\/https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/David-Hakimi-Alcon-Lighting-Inc.-1-1-180x180.png"},"first_name":"David","last_name":"Hakimi","user_url":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com","description":"Alcon Lighting creative director and co-founder David Hakimi works to improve lighting through research, development and education. David strives for efficiency in lighting, affording architects, lighting designers and engineers the ability to maximize LED lighting design and application. \r\n\r\nDavid is a graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, where he received a Bachelors in history. David also studied lighting design at IES in Los Angeles. He traces his and Alcon Lighting\u2019s commitment to innovation, accountability, quality and value to lessons learned from his father, Mike Hakimi, a lighting craftsman, salesman and consultant in Southern California for more than four decades.\r\n\r\nToday\u2019s lighting for commercial use requires a deep, complete understanding of smart lighting systems and controls. David takes pride in his lighting, energy controls and design knowledge. He is driven by the desire to share his insights into lighting specification and application. This quest to share his knowledge was the impetus for David to create Insights, Alcon Lighting\u2019s blog and resource center for helping the reader understand lighting and its application to space."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9870,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions\/9870"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555"},{"taxonomy":"thb-sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thb-sponsors?post=555"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.alconlighting.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}