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Typing Techniques
December 14, 2023
In today's world, keyboarding is involved in virtually every area of life, including academics, business, and leisure time. Whereas once, typing may not have been a necessity for everyone, this cannot be said anymore, thanks to the prevalence of computers in everyday life. It's best to learn to type during childhood because then, young students can put these skills to good use as they work in the classroom and complete assignments.
There are various ways to learn how to type, including lessons, games, and typing tests that measure speed and accuracy. If you don't learn how to type, you'll be forced to use the slow "hunt and peck" method that involves hunching over the keyboard to find the keys and pressing each one with an index finger.
Touch-typing is the process of placing the fingers onto the keys of the keyboard and typing specific keys with specific fingers without looking at the keys. The home row of keys is the middle row, and the fingers rest on these keys when you're not actively typing. Every finger has specific keys that it is responsible for pressing both above and below the home row.
The thumbs share the responsibility for pressing the space bar, and sometimes, thumbs also press extra command keys located adjacent to the space bar. Pinkie fingers have more keys to press than the other fingers because of the extra keys located to the left and right of the letters and numbers. Although pinkie fingers are the smallest fingers, they can handle this work with practice. Most keyboards have raised bumps on the "F" and "J" keys to enable people to find the home row easily without looking. With practice, it's possible to become quite proficient at typing using this method. Muscle memory plays a big role in touch-typing as well.
Posture while typing is important for comfort and overall body mechanics. Sit straight in your chair and keep your back comfortably straight. Place your feet flat on the floor. Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle as you position your fingers on the home row. Face the computer screen while typing. If you begin making mistakes or feeling distracted while typing, take a break until you're rested.
After learning the keys typed by each finger, train yourself to type without looking at the keys. Slide your fingers up and down to reach the upper and lower rows of keys. Try to limit the amount of movement of your hands, only moving as much as is necessary to press the keys. Maintain the base position with the hands and fingers as much as possible because this will minimize fatigue and increase typing speed.
Practice is crucial for improving accuracy and speed. As you begin to learn how to type, focus solely on accuracy. Type slowly enough that you won't make mistakes; this is how you build muscle memory. Your fingers will gradually learn the keys they are responsible for, and then you won't have to think about which finger to use to press specific keys. When you master accuracy, then it's time to hone your skills and work on increasing your typing speed. Scan the text you are typing, always looking ahead one or two words so you know which letters are coming.
The average typing speed for most people is around 40 words per minute. Someone who works to increase speed and accuracy might build up their typing speed to 75 words per minute or more. Typing quickly and accurately enables people to work more efficiently, getting more done in less time. Practice is crucial to enhance typing skills, but speed comes naturally with time and effort.
Lessons for K-12
- Typing Club Lessons for Kids
- Typing Home Keys
- Online Typing Lesson for Kids
- Typing With Ten Fingers Quickly Explained
- How to Teach Children to Type
Lessons for Adults
- Basic Positions in Ten-Finger Typing
- Learn How to Touch-Type
- Learn to Type Real Words and Phrases
- Peter's Online Typing Course
- Five Tips for Improving Your Typing Speed and Accuracy
K-12 Typing Games
Interactive Adult Learning
- Typing Ninja Game
- Ninja Cat: Free Typing Game for Adults
- Cup-Stacking Typing Game
- Fast Typer 2
- Type Racer Typing Game
- Touch Typing Study
