Register for
Touch Typing for Academic Success

Dates for Summer 2020

Saturdays 6 June - 11 July 6 week course - Saturday lessons
(no conflict with remote school lessons)

Monday 13 - Thursday 16 July Distance learning till 17 August

Monday 27 - Thursday 30 July Distance learning till 31 August

How does touch typing help students get better grades?

If a student is a laptop user, in exams they can:

• Complete work much quicker than writing by hand. A student’s ability to write under time constraints is an important contributor to their exam performance. Students often underachieve because they simply run out of time.

• Produce legible work. No marks are lost because of difficulties deciphering handwriting.

• Copy correct spellings without slowing down. This is particularly important in exams when marks are deducted for incorrect spelling.

• Organise, correct and reorganise their work quickly and easily.

When not in exams but completing home/course work, students can utilise learning tools that guarantee higher grades.

TOUCH TYPing CAN SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF WRITTEN WORK, CONFIDENCE & EXAM GRADES

Why is the course so effective?

Learning to touch type is boring and takes a significant period of time.

It is hard to motivate children to do the necessary practise to become proficient.

The course explains in details how to use learning tools that enable student to get better grades. Students can only use these tools once they can touch type. This provides the intrinsic motivation students need to practise. Parents often comment how surprised they are to see their children motivatated to practise outside of lessons.

Students are encouraged to beat their previous speeds and accuracy scores.

We use a variety of different typing solutions and games to reduce boredom.

Who should attend?

The course is designed for dyslexics and those that display dyslexic tendencies, (struggle with getting ideas down in writing) but any student would benefit from attending.

What is the best age to learn to type?

We aim to teach students to touch type before they start to study for formal external exams (i.e. before they start year 10 in the UK).

We can teach older students but where possible, we strongly recommend that students learn to touch type as early as posisble.

While a child’s dexterity often improves in their teen years, the advantages of learning to touch type in primary school are significant.

Starting secondary school with typing as a normal way of working should greatly reduce the amount of evidence required to justify being a laptop user in formal exams.

While a student’s ability improves in teenage years, the motivation to practice significantly decreases, with peer pressure and increased school workload playing a part too.

Having shared the frustration of parents whose teenagers simply refuse to put in the practice required to learn to type, I would strongly recommend starting early. Younger children when motivated properly often enjoy learning to touch type.

Why have distance learning as well as formal teaching?

Without significant practice, the speed and accuracy required to improve grades simply cannot be obtained.

I have created a remote learning course that includes a high level of value for the cost. I have sought to include a mix of indepent student practise and webinar tutoring and supervision.

My courses could be longer but that would make them less affordable. I have refined the delivery over the years to optimise value for money by continuing to improve muscle memory by setting work and having regular webinars to not only keep students practising but to remind them how to utilise the technology.

Without significant practice the speed and accuracy required to improve grades simply cannot be obtained

Without follow up practise, speed and accuracy diminish significantly. Consequently, students end up attending a number of courses without being competent enough to type their homework. I want to help parents not waste money on multiple courses.

The formal lessons are organised so that once completed, students know the whole keyboard. If students practise on their specially designed keyboards, they can do so whenever it is convenient, without webcam supervision.

How long are students expected to practise for?

Ideally 20 minutes a day. We recognise some days will be missed. Parents are sometimes surprised at how much practise their children do. This is because we introduce them to fun, competitive games that they enjoy.

What if my child cannot attend a weekly webinar?

The webinars are scheduled to help parents keep children accountable, not to be a burden.

Frequently, family or social obligation prevent attendance, which is fine. However, you should be aware that attendance does have a significant impact on progress.

Feedback & results

What do we need to have at home for a child to take part?

I will supply you with a webcam and a specially designed keyboard.

Every student MUST have:

• Good internet access

• A laptop or desktop machine that can

  • connect to a USB keyboard

  • connect the webcam provided and position it at the keyboard

  • working microphone and speakers

  • Google Chrome installed - this is the best web browser to use. Other browsers can be glitchy which frustrates students.

  Students cannot complete the course on a tablet

• Headphones

If siblings are on a course at the same time, check you have sufficient internet access for them to be on a Zoom call working on an internet package at the same time.

Dependent on the ages of your children, it might be easier to have one sibling on the morning course - for Primary school students and the other on the afternoon course for Secondary students.

What if parents are not particularly good with technology?

We recognise that not everyone is comfortable using technology. With this in mind we:

• Will send all the equipment out with plenty of time for it to be set up

• Provide videos showing how to set up the equipment

• 2 days before the course starts, we have a webinar to check that everything is working

• What do we need to have in place at home to run the course?