Typing Classes

The chapter on Technology in English and Language Arts Instruction raised a good point about typing classes. Should typing/keyboarding classes be required of students as a prerequisite to the use of computers for other writing classes? I asked my husband, who graduated from Mountain Brook High School in 1992, if he had to take a typing class and it was not a requirement for him. However, I graduated from Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School and it was a requirement for me in the ninth grade. Our textbook argued that students will learn bad typing habits if they do not take a typing course, which will inhibit students from typing fluently and accurately. Our textbook also reported that some people view keyboarding instruction as unnessecary and it takes up valuable student time and school resources. Can people succeed using the computer if they only know the basic keyboard familiarization?

I have been thinking which side of the keyboarding arguement I am for and I am convinced that typing classes are not a waste of time and are very valuable to the students. First of all, computers are used more in high schools today than they were even 10 years ago when I graduated. If students do not get keyboard instruction, they will struggle to type quickly and may become frustrated with their assignment. Students today use computers for classroom use, research, and communication. If they are slow to type and find letters, it would be difficult for them to use the computer for its designed purposes. I took a typing class and I am very efficient at typing. My husband has not taken typing, and he still does not know the proper hand placement for the keyboard. He told me that he does get frustrated with typing long assignments for class, and wishes he had taken a typing course.

Taking a typing class and learning where the keys are and learning correct hand placements on the keyboard is similar to learning how to hold a pencil. There are correct ways to hold a pencil for steady and quick writing, and I think it is just as important to show a child how to hold a pencil as it would be to show a student where to place their hands on a keyboard. Children who do not hold their pencil correctly struggle to write quickly and their writing is often hard to read. Writing, whether it be with a pencil or a keyboard, should be taught so students can do it fluently and accurately.