Prompted by home learning during COVID-19, the following are tips for teachers who would like to use TTRS as a remote learning tool. They include how to manage your students’ learning from home, offer feedback, develop additional activities, and communicate with parents. If you need more guidance, you can always visit other help articles in our detailed help pages.

Sections in this document:
Why typing skills are so relevant right now
Recommendations for teachers using the program remotely
Activities to try with learners
Communicating with parents
TTRS for children of key workers

As more communication and schoolwork moves online, computers become a key tool for learning.

In its latest Guidance Report Using Digital Technology to Improve Learning (1), the Education Endowment Fund suggests that “Monitoring how technology is being used, including by checking that all learners have the skills they need to use it effectively, is likely to reduce the risk that technology becomes a tool that widens the gap between successful learners and their peers.” 

Typing is an important skill facilitating e-learning activities, messaging, and composing written work on the computer.

In developing a written response, learners need to consider what they want to say and how they want to say it, but they also have to get the spelling and formatting of their answer correct. Finding the right keys on top of this puts extra strain on working memory. It also necessitates moving the eyes away from the screen, which can be both distracting and disruptive, particularly in an online message/chat interface. It can interrupt a student’s line of thought, cause them to lose their place, slow them down, and/or result in general frustration and anxiety when the correct key cannot be found.

However, when the skill of touch-typing is learned, writing on the computer can be as automatic and fluent as forming letters by hand. It may even be a more effective means of written communication, particularly for learners with dysgraphia, dyslexia, and/or dyspraxia.

Touch-typing can enhance fine-motor skills and facilitate spelling, as strings of letters are translated into movement patterns executed by the fingers. These patterns become automatic over time, particularly for high-frequency words.

You can access a student’s account remotely to check their progress and usage, adjust their settings, message them, set weekly targets, and/or generate certificates. Visit the Students tab in the main navigation menu to get started. Learn more about logging in as a student.

While it is up to you how often and for how long your learners use TTRS at home, we recommend 10-30 minutes, 3-4 days a week. You might even consider asking them to do 10-15 minutes of typing at the start of every school day.

As students work through TTRS at their own pace, it’s useful to set a weekly goal for how many modules they should complete. Providing them with a target can help with motivation, especially as they see their progress towards reaching it! Learn more about weekly goals.

You can guide your students through the Main Course by unlocking levels and or suggesting different modules for them to work on based on the typing, spelling, and phonics practice they’ll receive. How to unlock levels. As a reminder, when a student signs in to TTRS, it will bring them to their last completed module.

On-screen hand-guides provide visual cues so a learner can avoid looking down at their hands. If a student has passed Level 3 and is receiving high accuracy and speed scores, you might consider asking them to turn the on-screen hands off. This can be done by the student or remotely using your teacher dashboard.

You will receive updates on your students’ usage and progress in your Activity Feed. You can also visit individual student accounts to see how often they are using TTRS, how many modules they have completed, and their performance stats. How to view student progress reports.

It’s a good idea to use the internal messaging app to check in with students, assign modules, offer feedback and praise and remind them to practice. How to message students.

You’ll be able to see the number of module stars and trophies your students have earned by visiting their individual accounts. You can send messages to commend them on their achievements and/or generate certificates of achievement which can be emailed as a .pdf and printed by parents. How to generate certificates.

If your student is struggling, and/or if you know they have a specific learning difficulty, you may want to have a look at their settings and adjust font, typing mode (copy typing/overtyping/remember-and-repeat), backspace key read aloud ... until you find a set-up that works for them. Learn more about TTRS Settings. Learn more about adjusting TTRS for students with specific learning needs.

As you will no longer be able to walk around the room and see your students physically typing, you will need to rely on parents to observe and report back on hand position and typing behavior. 

Here are some tips you can send parents on what to look for:
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​Do they know the home row position (the base position where their hands go before they begin typing)? If not, you might consider sending some visual guides that can be printed and put up around the house or instructing learners to feel for the raised bumps on the F and J keys to get their hands in position.

Are they returning to the home row position between typing keys? Students may need parents to remind them to do this. Some parents have made a video that focuses on their child’s hands while they are typing. Having learners observe themselves typing can help troubleshoot difficulties with returning to the home row position.

Are they finding certain keys or letter combinations difficult? They may just need encouragement as it can take time for new movement patterns to feel comfortable. Parents can try putting putty on certain keys to provide a touch-based guide for tricky letters. If parents find a key is not getting easier, you can create practice modules using the Subject Creator to help target the letter or letter combination(s) the student is struggling with.

Are they looking down too often? Parents can encourage their child not to look down by covering their hands with a pillowcase or a cardboard box with holes cut in it for the wrists. Some families have also put stickers on the keyboard to block out the letters.

Students acquire typing skills in the first three levels of the TTRS Main Course. Once they know the position of the keys, they can take modules from the subject courses. TTRS has a range of mathematics, English and science content available that can help with everything from rote learning of arithmetic facts to mastery of hard-to-spell key vocabulary words and concepts. You can have a look through what is available and suggest modules using the message interface. You may have students do 2 main course modules + 1 subject module in a session, or work on main course and subject-based modules on different days. You can preview subject content from your teacher admin login and choose something that supports the mathematics or science learning they are doing in other parts of their school day. Alternatively, you can create your own subject and draft custom modules for your students. Learn more about TTRS Subjects. Learn more about how TTRS Subjects map to the UK and US curriculum.

TIP: Not sure where to start with subjects? Have a look at our Motivational Courses for mathematics and spelling. Students type sentences that build self-esteem and confidence in their ability to learn new material.

As a teacher admin, you have access to a Subject Creator. You can use this feature to add your class spelling lists as typing modules, so your students can learn and practice with words in a multi-sensory way. You can also create modules of words your students frequently misspell and assign these using the message interface. Learn how to create your own typing modules in TTRS.

TTRS has a free writing feature that allows learners to choose a 5/10/15 minute session during which time they can compose an original piece of writing in the familiar TTRS interface. You will be able to view their written work from your teacher dashboard and see spelling and typing performance for the session. You might have learners describe a picture, type a journal entry about their day, or answer a prompt. The free writing interface is a great way to smooth the transition between copy typing exercises and using typing skills to write on the computer. Note, it’s also possible to print the student’s written work or create a .pdf from your admin login. Learn more about free writing in TTRS.

The TTRS Subject Creator can be used to create custom typing modules. Here are some ideas for how you might use them. (1) When assigning reading material for your students, create typing modules that practice key vocabulary from the book. You can use these as a review or as a pre-reading activity. You might choose to present definitions or just the words themselves. You can follow this lesson up with a free-writing activity in TTRS where students sum up what they read using words from the typing modules you’ve created. (2) Create modules that teach learners a poem or song you would normally learn together in class. Hearing, seeing and typing material helps it stick, so typing modules are a great way to get language into memory. Use the message feature to advise students to say the lines out loud as they are typing them. (3) Create typing modules that help students reflect on the current situation. Get them to type questions that support self-reflection and exploration of feelings and emotions. Learn how to create your own typing modules in TTRS. 

Encourage parents to ensure TTRS becomes a regular part of their child’s school day. You might remind them typing is an independent activity children can do that requires very little supervision. Additionally, it’s a nice way to start the home-school day as it helps students feel productive and builds their confidence and motivation to complete other assignments. Regular practice also encourages students to use their typing skills when completing other work on the computer. 

You might provide parents with some information on designating a place where typing lessons can take place. Remind them it’s important their child can focus on the audio component of lessons. TTRS can be used on a desktop computer, laptop, or iPad. They also need working speakers or headphones. If they choose to run the program on a tablet, it’s recommended they use a wireless keyboard as opposed to the on-screen keyboard. Learn more about equipment.

To avoid injury, parents should ensure the chair and table/desk are at the right height, so their child’s wrists are not pressing against any hard edges. The screen should be at eye level. Learn more about posture and seating.

While it’s important for children to practice their typing regularly, it’s also crucial that computer-based activities are spaced out throughout the day, so children do not experience visual fatigue from staring at the screen too long. You might remind them that short and regular typing practice is more effective than longer sessions.