Dear Netters:
Many thanks to everyone who responded. Virtually everyone agreed that
keyboarding is a necessary skill; but I'm still left with the question
of when and how it should be taught. I wish that I had some
authoritative information about the most effective age for children to
learn how to keyboard, how frequent the lessons should be and how many
years should it be taught before it sticks.
Here are the original responses:
I think keyboarding is am important tool. I work in a library, have
two sons in grades 4 and 7, and my opinion comes from that. Children
need the basic skills, like keyboarding to help them function in this
techno world. It is another skill that some students will have the
burden of carrying but at the same time, opportunity is essential
sometimes. Is it done in a fun teaching manor? My sons school taught
them with a program called Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor. They are both
proficient at the keyboard and computer. That is just a laymens
opinion.
Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor has a website here it is:
http://www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com
This reminds me of the parents who argued 10 years ago that we didn't
need keyboarding lessons because all computers would be using voice
recognition within 2 years.
How much time do students spend correcting their work after hunting and
pecking?
We had one student who argued that he could hunt and peck as fast as the
other 7th grade students doing standard keyboarding. Our computer
teacher said, fine, I'll exempt you if you pass the test. He failed.
As a parent and a teacher, I believe that keyboarding skills are really
important. Hunting and pecking is a skill that once learned, is almost
impossible to unlearn later. I would be very unhappy if my children
were taught at school to hunt and peck, because I want them to learn to
type properly. What may be good enough for grade 5's is not going to
be good enough for someone in high school and university. It is a real
disservice to introduce our children to bad habits that will follow
them through life.
As a mom of 5 kids who had keyboarding - I am always amazed at the
speed they are able to do things on the computer - this is a direct
result of keyboarding classes they had in wlwm. school. The 'hunt and
peck' method will not help these students to be successful adults. Even
small businesses use computers to keep track of inventory, do payrolls,
schedule work hours, maintain customer records/addresses, do billing,
etc.......
It's like expecting a carpenter to hammer with out the hammer!
Good luck!
While I was doing my
student teaching for my undergrad education degree, I
met with the building's OT. One of her main concerns
was that at the school where we were, they were using
a program to teach keyboarding to students at grades
3-6. Her issue with this was that students at that age
are still developing/working on their fine motor
skills and teaching them keyboarding was too advanced
for their ability level. I agree with her. I didn't
learn keyboarding till 9th grade and did just fine. I
think it would be okay to introduce keyboarding at an
earlier age, however it shouldn't be a major component
in the curriculum at such an early age. I think
encouraging them to use proper techinque like sitting
up straight while they use the computer, etc. would be
more effective than the actual keyboarding lessons.
This is just my opinion and what I have seen. I hope
it helps some.
Yes, keyboarding is important. It is NOT important for doing small
searches on the internet--I mean hunt and peck works well for entering
search terms.
BUT, we are also asking students to type reports. What you are
describing is NOT enough keyboard practice. To get good at typing,
they should be practicing daily (we practice math and reading daily
dont we?) for about 15 min a day. This should start in about grade 4.
Are they also covering up the letters with stickers to help students
to LEARN were to find the letters? Are they enforcing that fingers are
sitting on the correct keys? By grade 6 they should have a 9 week
daily 20 min keyboarding at the beginning of the year, as a refresher.
UMMM, we give HS students who take typing an hour a day for 9 weeks,
and expect them to reach 50wpm. What we are doing for the younger
grades is a disservice is it is cut too short.
I agree with the teacher, 3 months with 15 min per WEEK is not enough
to warrant requiring the students to become efficient.
And yes, I am having a heated discussion with MY teachers in middle
school over this also. But many of the students are learning that I
paid for college with typing skills. And since this is a low income,
wont go to school if I dont pay for it myself community, several are
picking up that they can learn to type and pay for college, and it is
giving hope.
I am a Career & Technology teacher in a high School. Students that
hunt and peck will develop a habit that is impossible to break. When
these type of students get to high school, it is impossible to break
these bad habits. I truly believe that this is a disservice. Students
are helped more by developing correct habits. This is a skill and like
every skill once learned wrong; it is close to impossible to correct.
I am new to my school this year, but I think I can offer an opinion
based on this school's experience.
Apparently, our primary students had been taught keyboarding skills.
Then it was felt that is was not necessary. Now that those kids are in
the middle school, the teachers are complaining that those same
students are lacking some basic skills. So beginning this year, the
lab teacher is incorporating keyboarding back into their lab time. At
least once a week grades 3-5 are taking a few minutes to work on these
skills.
Yes being able to use a keyboard efficiently is an essential life
skill, however this does not equate to being a touch typist. I insist
our kids use two hands right from the start in Kindergarden. At least
pointer finger of each hand and as soon as possible get them using
their thumb for space bar and use of shift (not caps locks) for capitol
letters. From there most kids pick up speed through use (composing at
the keyboard) rather than with isolated skill practice. It is like
many skills - things taught in isolation are not as meaningful as
skills taught in the context of meaningful use. Yes introduce the
concept of touch typing and provide opportunities for students to
develop this skill, but don't expect isolated practice a few min. a
week to transfer to "real life" applications. I was forced into touch
typing (on a typewriter in high school) and it never took. I type
effectively and efficiently, but I rely on primarily my thumbs, and
first two fingers on each hand. I have written a dozen books and done
all my own typing for example. I compose almost everything I write on
the computer. What is important is to learn the location of keys (top,
middle, or bottom row and left, middle or right). The more students
are encouraged to compose at the keyboard the more they realize the
need to be able to enter
data/text efficiently and effectively. This makes the desire to
enhance speed and accuracy and internalized drive, which leads to
effective motivation.
I think keyboarding is an absolute must for all students. This is
especially
true since many teachers are no longer teaching handwriting (if you can
believe that). Hunt and peck is not good enough when there are methods
for
teaching this subject. I had two years of typing in high school and two
years of shorthand. The shorthand was good mental training. The typing
has
been my most valuable subject. I've used it everyday of my life.
Imagine the
mess I'd be in if I didn't know how to type!
Please be sure and post what you hear! This has been a conundrum
for me as well. I recognize that teaching keyboarding to very small
children is inappropriate. I also recognize that we can't wait until
we can teach kids to type to let them at a computer keyboard. And, I
also know that by hunting and pecking, we are allowing kids to develop
bad habits that will inhibit their speed and accuracy later on, if we
never take the time and effort to teach true keyboarding. (As a speed
typist with and accuracy rate of 90 words a minute, I have been
eternally grateful to the high school typing teacher who insisted I
learn how to do this task properly, for the hours and hours she has
saved me over the course of my life!) So, when and where and for whom
do we insist on the acquisition of true keyboard skills? I would love
to know!
I think that you are correct, and your colleague is wrong, wrong, wrong!
I still thank my junior high typing teacher. Touch typing is so much
better than hunt and peck. Hunt and peck requires looking at the
keyboard, thus wasting lots of time. Touch typing allows you to type
while you constantly looking at the material being typed, or to think
and type without having the hunt and peck get in the way. I think it
is a very valuable skill.
I disagree with your Gr.5 teacher,
the hunt & peck is not the way to go.
I agree that the refresher would be worth it,
not sure about the amount of time.
Personally, I feel that keyboarding is essential in a computer world.
My daughters had keyboarding in 4th grade, I think, for 6 weeks in the
1980's). It is amazing how that little bit of time shaped their ability
to type, a skill they have used during both college, work and play. Our
school district discontinued this requirement thinking students would
pick it up at some time during their school years, but it is not
happening. And no, "hunt and peck" is never efficient.
As a business educator for 19 years, I feel that trying to teach
children as young as grades 3-5 correct keyboarding skills is a waste
of time. At this age, it is OK to hunt and peck. It is not until at
least grade 6 that most have large enough hands and the physical
dexterity to manipulate the keyboard properly. Keyboarding instruction
usually includes much more than just learning the correct placement of
the keys and being able to type without looking at the keyboard. It
includes grammar and punctuation, composition skills, speed and
accuracy in keying, etc. Our school system offers a year of
keyboarding as a prerequisite for taking computer classes at the high
school level. This became a requirement after we found that students
were taking high school computer classes and could not complete the
amount of work required because their keyboarding skills were below
par. This has solved the problem. It is offered beginning at grade
9.
So sorry to wait so long in responding. I teach technology at the
middle school level and find that keyboarding skills are essential. My
entire 9-week curriculum with sixth-graders is devoted mostly to
keyboarding because we do not have enough time and space to teach at
the elementaries. It really should be started at least in third grade
in my opinion, when they really start learning how to use words and
writing much more.
Last year most of my sixth-graders had to spend five weeks struggling
to get rid of their bad habits before the good habits begin. Once that
happens, those who want to learn will improve. Those that refuse to get
rid of the bad habits will always be key hunters.
I started my son in second grade with home row. He is now, as a sixth
grade, more confident in his computer skills, more apt to spend time
researching, and more likely to finish his assignments in less than an
hour (compared with those who are hunting or handwriting). I consider
this a plus! In addition, my 8th graders who learned keyboarding in
time can complete almost EVERYTHING more quickly if it involves a
computer.
I think you are right. Your young children need to learn how to
keyboard before the bad habits are part of their lives.
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