Typing

Check out your student’s posture while typing:

• Follow the 90-90-90 rule. Hips, knees, and feet bent at a 90 degree angle while seated at a desk.

• Try placing a footrest or box under the student’s feet if their feet do not reach the ground

• Give reminders not to slump over work, lean head on hand or desk.

• Place screen higher than the keyboard if possible to reduce eye and neck strain caused by staring down at the computer monitor.

• Take breaks every 20-30 minutes to give your eyes and body a break. Look away from your computer and focus on something else in the room. Stand up and stretch your fingers and back. If needed, set a reminder so you don't miss a break.

• If possible use a filter to block blue light while working on the computer.

Accuracy First, Then Speed:

Remember to focus on using correct finger placement on the home row and accuracy above 85% instead of focusing on speed. The goal of typing practice is to teach the student to type without looking at the keyboard, building muscle memory in their hands. This is why we focus on accuracy first. Once a student has learned where the keys are on the keyboard their speed will naturally increase. If students focus on speed first they get in the habit of looking at the keyboard and using 2-4 fingers only to hunt and peck for keys. In later grades, this leads to less efficiency as students learn to copy more from the board or while listening to a lecture.