Question
My student has dyslexia, ADD, and poor memory. I noticed on Friday that he was struggling to find the right keys when completing general typing of a word document in class not to mention using his thumb for letters instead of the space bar! I had hoped that daily keyboarding practice would assist his memory.
I guess the problem could be in part that he hasn’t learnt the placement of the required keys as yet.
Answer
Your student needs to revisit levels one and two of TTRS with supportive supervision. This support will include watching his fingers and encouraging him to always follow the guidance on the screen to use the right fingers and space bar only with his thumb. The thumb will be the same thumb for the space bar each time.
Encourage your student to slow down and concentrate on accuracy rather than speed if this is the case. Supervise each finger returning to the Home Keys before sending out the next finger to type a key.
You may also find it useful to download, print, and display this poster showing correct finger placement.
Question
I have been asked if a pupil of age 10 should be covering her hands when she types or able to see her hands - please could you advise on the best approach here?
Answer
Confidence comes first, encourage your student to gradually look up at the screen fingers and not down at the keyboard for the first two levels (62 modules in total).
Then, from level three onwards, subject to their level of confidence, consider the option of not displaying the screen hands (this is an option within settings).