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Typing Question
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I started ds9.5 in typing last year, using Mavis Beacon. He really loves it (minus the games, which he hates). He didn’t finish all of the lessons, so he’s still going this year. He is doing very well, but his speed isn’t improving much. Is typing something that your older ones do every year forever or just for a few years or ?? He’s going to finish MB pretty soon, and I don’t really want to invest in another program and make him start over, but I also don’t want him to have to repeat MB. He knows the keys; he just isn’t very fast (10-13 wpm, usually).
Any and all suggestions welcome!
Blessings,
Lindsey
Perhaps typing his written narrations would give him a place to practice his typing, thus picking up the WPM. For me, it is about practice when I learn a skill. If he is already doing that, I am out of ideas! 😉
Are you using a “real” MB program (not one “for kids”)? You can change the settings to increase the accuracy required to advance, and set goals for typing speed.
One thing I would say is to check if he is looking down at the keyboard when he types. My kids always want to look, but I keep reminding them that if they really want to improve their speed, they have to keep their eyes on the screen. It seems like it slows them down, but that’s how they will really pick up speed in the long run. Once they “buy into” that concept, they really begin to take off.
Finding real-life reasons to type is great, because it’s definitely about practice, like sheraz said, but if he is typing while composing of course he won’t type as fast. So typing from a printed text (like in Mavis) helps for just improving the skill itself.
If he is only typing 10-13wpm, I’d still definitely keep up with Mavis while incorporating some real-life needs for typing as well. Even emailing a friend or grandparent can be motivating practice. But I really, really feel like consistent use of a typing program, then transcription of a written text, will improve speed more than anything (as long as they keep those eyes on the screen, not the keys!) — because that’s how you get to the point of “muscle memory” or whatever you’d call it so you no longer have to think about where your fingers are moving. I keep my kids using some Mavis, at least in part, until they are at least well into the 30s or more.
But even then they definitely have to keep typing quite a bit once they get to that point. 🙂
Mysterious Lady, we are using an adult Mavis Beacon. The program “graduated” him to the Advanced level on its own! I was stunned when that happened. He doesn’t look at the keys much. He’s my perfectionist child, so I think sometimes he purposefully goes more slowly because he absolutely HATES making mistakes. It visibly upsets him when he does.
Ah yes, “adult” was what I meant. lol
So how long has he been doing this, and what is the frequnecy and duration when he does it? Does he do the games, but just doesn’t like them? Are you sure that he is only typing 10-13wpm?
We’ve been using this program with him twice weekly since August 2012. He usually does it about 10 minutes, unless he starts making mistakes. Then he’s DONE. He really gets very, very frustrated if he makes a mistake, and if he makes multiple mistakes in a row, I just tell him he can be finished because it upsets him so much. He hates the games because he can’t go fast enough to win them, and when he tries going fast, he makes more mistakes. Especially the shark attack game…he has cried over it before. I’m sure that the fastest I’ve ever seen him type is 14 wpm. If he gets a good score, he always shouts it from the rooftops. Believe it or not, he actually likes typing, as long as he goes slow and steady and doesn’t have to play the games.
Lindsey, my DS10 as well as DS-almost-9 have been using MB typing for about a year. What I found brought the speed up was simply making sure that I had typing on our schedule EVERY day. (even Saturdays!) That may sound a bit over the top but I really found daily access to and practise on the keyboard – essentially exercising the fingers – worked wonders for us. When we began the daily routine we very quickly got the speed from 15wpm up to 40wpm (and growing). More enjoyment/confidence, too! When you think about it, in typing, there is a physical element that requires finger strength. The more often you work your fingers, the stronger they become (I say this as a piano teacher, too). And with daily typing, not only will his fingers gain strength, but his memory of the keyboard will be drilled as well.
You mentioned in your first post that your DS loves MB typing (though understandably not when he makes mistakes) so hopefully he would be willing to give it a go on a daily basis – even just as a trial for two weeks. Certainly if he’s in that mood when he’s DONE, then I’d let him be “done”. After all, he’ll go back the very next day fresh and ready to try again. Do it daily if he’s willing, see what happens to his speed and then you’ll know whether it’s working. If you worry that he might get bored doing MB as his daily program, I can also suggest the alternate we used to break up the routine: MB on M/T/Th/F and BBC’s (free online) Dancemat on W/Sat.
Hope this helps!
Blessings,
Angie
I just read your followup post, Lindsey, and the main thing I thought of about what we’ve done is do typing daily, or very near daily — which is just what Angie said in the very next post! My 7.5yo types around 35wpm and 9yo types well into the 40s. I was watching them this afternoon (after reading the earlier parts of the thread) and they keep their eyes on the screen pretty much the whole time, just plugging along. Last spring they were typing 8-12wpm. I think the consistency has been a huge help with the process — both for strengthening and muscle memory. And it is a fun break from any subjects they find unpleasant. 😉
I would really try to boost the frequency and be very consistent and not worry switching programs. (Athough my kids did enjoy that free BBC Dance Mat that Angie mentioned.)
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