Goal Setting
Meet it, Beat It, Double it
There are many articles that support the idea that learning to touch type can help students be more productive in their schoolwork and the future jobs they will hold one day. To make this fact more real for the students and help them set their own personal typing goals, I have my students participate in this Meet it, Beat it, Double it activity prior to formal typing instruction.
click image for copy👆
How does it work?
I provide each student with a copy of this👈 worksheet and instruct the students to copy the paragraph in their own handwriting while I time them for 1 minute. After the time is up, I have the students stop writing and count how many words they wrote during the one minute.
They are then instructed to write this number next to the M at the bottom of the page.
Next, I have them add 1 to the number they wrote next to the M and write this number next to the B.
Finally, I have them take the number next to the M, multiply it times 2, and write this number next to the D.
After the three numbers are written on their page, I ask the class what they think the different numbers represent. It is always interesting to hear what their thoughts are. After a couple of minutes of discussion, I explain to the class the different letter meanings.
M stands for "Meet it" - This is the student's first personal typing goal. Meeting this goal means that they can type as fast as they can write.
B stands for "Beat it" - This is the student's second personal typing goal once they are successful with their "Meet it" score. Meeting this goal means that they can type FASTER than they can write. Have a discussion with the students about what it would mean to them to be able to type faster than they can write (finish work faster, get to do activities I want to do sooner, etc.)
D stands for "Double it" - This is the student's third personal typing goal. Meeting this goal means that they can get their work done twice as fast as traditional writing. Again, the conversation can continue with the class about what this speed could mean in their everyday life or in the future with higher-level courses. It should also be mentioned that as more testing goes online, it will help with students being able to collect their thoughts and get them on paper in a timelier fashion.
Once students meet these goals, they soon find that as they continue to practice, typing will become second nature to them, and they will continue to develop their speed, technique, and accuracy.
To keep track of students' individual goals, I have students transfer their goals into a Google Form so that I can monitor progress and compare scores throughout the grading period. I also keep their hard copies as a backup copy and give them back out at the end of the grading period/class/end of the year for them to look back on.