Would love for you to take your time to read (or skim if you need, time is precious) and comment on your views on the teaching of touch typing.
A lot of schools say there’s nothing wrong with typing with two fingers, but Westwood disagrees. “It’s like trying to write with a feather and a pot of ink – painfully slow,” she says. “A fluent touch-typist can type up to eight times faster than your average two fingered ‘hunt and peck’ keyboard user.”
As I compose this post, I am looking only at the screen with no need to watch my fingers or consciously use brain power to move my fingers to write the flood of thoughts I have. This is what has been labelled “Touch Typing.”
Year 9 and 10 at highschool I elected to do “Business Office Procedures” in which part of the practical component was to achieve atleast 98% accuracy in touch typing… We did this mainly through a touch typing program, games and repition.
Although I take this skill for granted, upon reflection I feel this skill has been invaluble. I have encountered many at uni, in libraries, in group work even at schools who are astounded at the typing skills that I completely take for granted.
I have been elected to do the group’s typing as I am the quickest. Touch typing allows me to multi-task more easily and transfer thoughts into texts more efficiently.
In year 9 and 10 I had no career direction at all but I considered touch typing a valuble skill to have under my belt to propell me into the workforce.
I have been looking around for other’s views on teaching touch typing.
The main consensus I run into is that teaching children touch typing will equipt students with the skills students will need not only in their later careers but during their schooling journey towards those careers such as wordprocessed assessments.
As with many other KLA’s, implementation in schools documented on the internet, site “the enthusiasm of the teacher in typing is key to achieving good progress… children need to be closely monitored and encouraged to do better. Being left with the programme is not enough.”
Interestingly I also found that touch typing can also assist those with visual impairment or Specific Learning Difficulties, such as dyslexia, in several ways:
- Clarity of presentation and legibility of work
- Speed of input – allowing the child to keep pace with the teacher
- Spelling – tactile learning of spelling patterns
- Handwriting – typing reduces the physical and mental pressure for a struggling writer
- Presentation – editing work is easier
- Empowerment – good keyboarding skills promotes independence, confidence and success.
Funnily enough touch typing education is extended from just using the right fingers for the right keys but also incorperates a focus on correct posture and correct height to the keyboard.
If information technology is being used to transform the classroom and learning, students will need tools to allow them access to this transformation.
Do we focus on touch typing?
Do we focus on handwriting?
Do we do both simultaneously?
References
http://redbridgeprimaryit.blogspot.com/2007/09/touch-typing.html
3 comments
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September 22, 2008 at 12:23 am
Ellie
When I was in primary school, I used computers for the first time in year 5. I wouldn’t have had much of a chance of being taught touch-typing, as I remember taking about several seconds to locate a one letter alone on the keyboard!
Yet, I think young students today ARE capable of learning touch-typing skills, as they are using computers in school from Kindy. Last week I watched a student type with one finger only, and it was only a matter of saying, ‘try use both hands to type’, and she already improved!
I also think students will naturally develop touch-typing skills in time. They’ll discover it sure is easier!
September 25, 2008 at 4:49 am
ckelaher
Hey Amy,
great thoughts on touch typing!!! I think we do need to teach handwriting and touch-typing simultaneously. However, as a person who can not touch type my being able to teach this skill may be very difficult. Perhaps if we were given lessons in this form of technology use then maybe we would feel more confident in teaching students to improve their computer skills particularly in the area of touch typing!!!
Amy, I would love for you to take some time to fill out my teacher survey on my word press site. ckelaher.wordpress.com
October 7, 2008 at 12:27 pm
schooling2amy
Thankyou girls for commenting!
I think it is a sort of literacy that needs to be ulilised not so we, as teachers, can tick a box to say students can touch type but so they can use technology more efficiently to complete everything else they need to.
I remember learning to touch type, and it was a lot of practice so that the movements occur without thought. There are some really good touch typing programs out there… google some Clare, you can teach yourself really. The programs are like games… I’ll admit I still enjoy doing it every now and then!
Ellie, I remember my first experience with a computer and the internet at school in year 6 and I was similiar to you!
The one finger typer seems to be an epidemic! But I’m glad to hear a small reminder was all it took for the student to endeavour to work more efficiently and ergonomically!
I believe students can learn a lot by themselves but I think that some explicit instruction or motivation/guidance is needed to facilitate students.