Traditional teaching is mainly teacher-lead and the teacher's voice should reach out clearly to the whole class with minimal background and disturbing sounds.
Modern teaching may call for students to work in groups of 4-6, in pairs, individually or working interactively with discussions as a whole class. The classroom has to support all of these activities.
Reducing sound levels within class spaces and minimising distractions from surrounding class activities is a key priority.
Physical training and ball games are associated with high sound levels, this can make communication difficult and be uncomfortable for teachers/coaches over time.
Corridors are often multi-functional spaces, allowing people to move between different rooms in a building whilst providing social and break-out spaces.
Lively children interacting often leads to voices being raised to be heard over or in response to others creating high sound levels.