Challenge 1. Finding time to teach typing

Finding time to teach typing quickly pays off

Many teachers find that fitting just one more thing into the crowded curriculum is difficult. In the case of teaching typing a little work quickly pays off. Once students are able to type they can get through any other work requiring keyboard input more rapidly. The time invested will be more than balanced by the savings in other areas.

The following information is adapted from the Typing Tournament Guide To Best Classroom Practice.

How do schools find time to teach typing with Typing Tournament?

The best approach is a little practice regularly. With Typing Tournament, each student has their own account that tracks their progress word by word. This means that practice sessions can be any length that suits your classroom situation.

Here are a few of the ways teachers find time to teach typing:

Keep sessions short and regular:

• Many teachers use the first 10-15 minutes of the lesson for typing practice
• This settles the students and is the kind of activity that easily accommodates late-comers or students having difficulty signing into the system
• Once the session is finished the whole class is ready to move onto the next activity together

The first 10-15 minutes of ICT and specialist lessons

• ICT lesson in the computer lab
• Literacy lessons
• Creative writing

Regular in-class typing sessions

• Use laptops one-on-one if there are sufficient
• Start the day or return from morning tea or lunch to 10 minutes of typing
• Regular typing lesson in weekly timetable
• Use in small groups for rotations

A concentrated focus period

• 15 minutes a day for say two weeks with follow-up lessons at longer intervals
• A focus on Typing Tournament for a term followed by a term off

Activity rotations in class

• Language arts/English
• ICT

Non-class use

• Lunchtime voluntary activity in the library
• After school care

Homework

• Use Typing Tournament as a homework activity
• Print and send home the “Home Use” letters from the Teacher Management section
• Use the Typing Tournament reports to see when a student last used the system