The eText Method has been designed to decrease the risk of a keyboard user acquiring repetitive strain injury in three ways: Continue reading “How using typeSmart reduces the risk of injury” »
Leonard West was a prominent researcher and expert on typing teaching methods.
Nonsense drills
Nonsense drills were used to teach the individual keystrokes for copy-typing on mechanical typewriters with high precision in the traditional typing method and again have been slavishly applied to the modern computer keyboard.
Combinations of characters such as ‘frf’ and ‘juj’ used in conventional typing tutorial software are not part of our language and imprint ‘junk chunks’ in the mind that need to be erased or ‘over-written’ before learning to type real words, such as ‘from’, for example.
Leonard West identified the problem of these nonsense exercises and recommended the minimal use of these in typing teaching methods (West, 1983). Because of his dependency on the Home Keys Technique, he was unable to eliminate these from his own teaching method.
TypeSmart teaches only the phonemes and syllables of our language and provides progression onto short, long words and phrases, etc. and employs the Direct Reach method, which helps typists to easily find any key.
West retired not long after his book was published. We believe that if he had continued his research he would have developed the eText method before us, as the next two sections suggest.
Direct Reach
Our close observations of high-speed typists (100 wpm or more) indicated that they do not reach out from the Home Keys and return while typing at high speed. Instead they have instinctively learned the Key-Finger Groups as a psychomotor skill (like driving or playing sport). They sometimes rested their hands on the Home Keys when not typing, but as just a habit.
The advantage of direct reaching was confirmed by the the prominent typing researcher Dr Leonard West in the 1970s and 80s. He recommended: “direct reaching for the keys will happen automatically. Do not discourage direct reaching for the keys; do not insist on a return to the home keys after each stroke” (West, 1983, page 69).
Thus, West is advising that typists have to drop the Home Keys Technique in order to become expert, fixation on these being an impediment to high-speed typing.
Expert typists do not waste time going to the Home Keys. They type like a concert pianist plays. Even though they invariably started with learning the Home Keys, they have let them go and correctly learned the Key-Finger Groups after hours of practice or years of experience. Out of habit they may rest their hands on the Home Keys when about to start or when not actually typing, but once they begin typing the Home Keys Technique becomes superfluous.
By comparison, the eText Method encourages direct reaching on the flatter and more compact computer keyboard right from the beginning. We disagree with West’s suggestion that direct reaching happens “automatically” — our research indicates it takes many hours (in excess of 20) of training and practice to break the Home Keys reach-and-return habit devoloped by conventional touch typing methods.
Typewriting rhythm
Easy keystrokes speed up the flow and awkward keystrokes slow it down.
The Home Keys Technique requires the mastering of many awkward finger-keystroke techniques resulting from keeping, or trying to keep fingers in contact with the Home Keys. This means that any real flow to text creation is difficult.
This is consistent with the research done on type-writing rhythm reviewed by Leonard West who concluded: “there is no place whatsoever in type-writing instruction for so-called rhythm drills” (West, 1983, page 69).
typeSmart uses the Direct Reach method, rather than the Home Keys Technique. This brings all keystrokes to a more or less uniform level of required dexterity, except perhaps for the little fingers, thereby allowing for the possibility of flow or even rhythm. This is similar to expert typists who have been able to ‘let go’ of the Home Keys to achieve speed and flow.
Covering the keyboard
West concluded that the research indicated that covering the keys so that the student is forced to find the correct keys without looking at the keys provided no learning advantage. The eText method follows this conclusion by allowing the student to look at the keys initially at the same time as employing a method that encourages the student to look at the screen.
References
- West, Leonard J. (1983) Acquisition of Typewriting Skills, Methods and Research in Teaching Typewriting and Word Processing. 2nd Edition: Bobbs-Merrill educational Publishing, Indianapolis (out of print).
Computers are creative tools, so for managerial and professional people and students creating text is ‘word-smithing’, rather than mechanically copying drafts. Word-smithing requires looking at the screen in the same manner as hand-writing. In contrast, the traditional typing method often involves copying a document and watching that rather than the text being created.
Note the differences between computers and typewriters.
- Computer keyboard is flatter and more compact.
- The supposed necessity of resting the hands on the keys is a legacy of the steep inclination and large spread of the mechanical typewriter keys and the necessity to move up and down as well as sideways.
- Accuracy is less important on the computer.
- With a typewriter, it is difficult to correct mistakes, so accuracy is important from the beginning in the traditional typing method. A computer is more forgiving in that mistakes are easily corrected, and thus the accuracy of keystrokes is not initially as important.
Traditional Typing Methods.
The Home Keys are across the middle of the keyboard – A-S-D-F on the left, and J-K-L-; on the right.
The Home Keys technique requires keeping at least one finger of each hand on the home keys while reaching for the other keys above and below. Most keyboards have raised ‘bumps’ on two of these keys (usually F and J) to help you find those keys easily.
Typists are instructed to start typing with their fingers on the Home Keys and rest them there when not actually typing. Novice students of typing are made to do extensive Home Key exercises. The Home Keys technique soon becomes an in-grained habit.
For old-fashioned typewriters, the Home Keys technique was perhaps logical. The fingers needed to start at the middle row of the keys and to reach up and down large steeply inclined keys. The modern computer keyboard is almost flat, yet the Home Keys technique has been slavishly maintained.
What problems has this caused?
- Boredom.Because of the QWERTY keyboard arrangement, the Home Keys technique requires the drudgery of nonsense drills resulting in mental ‘junk chunks’ and faulty cognitive imprinting, which you then have to un-learn in order to type real words. For example, having practised ‘frf’ or ‘juj’ endlessly, when will there ever be a word that uses those combinations?The prominent researcher and expert on typing teaching methods, Leonard West, identified the problem of these nonsense exercises and recommended the minimal use of these in typing teaching methods (West, 1983).
- Mind-mapping confusion.The stroking out patterns used in the Home Keys technique are complicated, and cross over the Key-Finger Groups that expert typists have learned. This causes mind-mapping confusion.Compare the simple Key-Finger Groups of typeSmart with the complicated charts supplied with popular typing tutorial packages.
- Awkward fingering.The habit of keeping one or more fingers on Home Keys produces a range of individual fingering techniques ranging from fairly easy to quite awkward. Try these two examples:Type ‘G’ keeping the little finger on the ‘A’ key, or type ‘U’ keeping the little finger on the ‘;’ key.Type ‘C’ using the ‘D’ finger (middle finger) while keeping any of the other fingers on one of the Home Keys ‘A-S-D-F’.
The first exercise is quite easy and the second is quite awkward, almost impossible for many. Thus trying to keep fingers in contact with the Home Keys requires the mastering of many awkward fingering techniques.
- Disruption to Creative Flow.This awkward fingering involved in the Home Keys technique means that any real flow to text creation is difficult. Easy fingering speeds up the flow and awkward fingering slows it down.
- Performance Anxiety.Learning traditional typing can be quite stressful because of the great emphasis on the accuracy and speed of individual keystrokes while not looking at the keyboard. This creates performance anxiety.Traditional typing tutor software ‘beeps’ when you do not succeed, and displays all your mistakes on the computer screen. These negative audio and visual responses raise your performance anxiety and incorrectly imprint the mistake in your mind confusing the mind-mapping.
- Possible Contributor to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. There is also the possibility that the Home Keys technique is a contributor to Repetitive Strain Injury due to the awkward key strokes, imperfect coordination, and conditioned stress from performance anxiety.
How is typeSmart different?
- Uses Direct Reach method even for beginners.
Our observations of high-speed typists (100 wpm or more) indicate that they do not reach out from the Home Keys and return while typing at high speed. Instead they have instinctively learned the Key-Finger Groups as a psychomotor skill (like driving or playing sport). Out of habit they may rest their hands on the Home Keys when about to start or when not actually typing, but once they begin typing the Home Keys technique is dropped.This is confirmed by the advice of West who recommends: “Do not discourage direct reaching for the keys; do not insist on a return to the home keys after each stroke” (West, 1983, page 69). In other words, West is advising that typists need to drop the Home Keys technique in order to become expert. So typeSmart encourages using Direct Reach right from the start.
- Uses the space-bar for anchoring.
The common-sense principle of the space-bar as the anchor key is the start of the mind-map to the Key-Finger Groups. The space-bar is the biggest and easiest key to hit on the keyboard (what a relief after those awkward Home Keys!). You can hit it easily with either thumb, and there are always spaces between words! - Teaches common groups of letters found in normal language. Rather than combine letters in strange ways just to practise typing, typeSmart uses only letter combinations that occur in normal language. For example, ‘fr’, ‘gu’, ‘de’, ‘as’.Linguists say that 81% of all words are made up of mono-syllables and thus learning to type common mono-syllables allows you to master typing real words more quickly than through learning individual keystrokes.This means training your unconscious mind to automatically associate, firstly, areas of the keyboard with your fingers, and then, whole words and syllables with finger movements in the way a pianist associates keys with notes and then learns chords. We use piano music in the typeSmart software to reinforce this association.
- Focuses on the keys we mainly use – the letters, the space bar, full stop and comma.You can start exercises by looking at the keyboard, and your attention will naturally be drawn up to the screen as you progress. You can concentrate on learning to type instead of worrying about mistakes.Unless you are required to be an expert typist, you are allowed to look at the keyboard to use the less commonly-used peripheral keys.
- Uses the same cognitive processes we use to speak and read.typeSmart uses the two modalities of learning – sight and audio – as words are ‘seen’ by some people and ‘heard’ by others.
- Helps the creative juices flow. typeSmart is based on ‘trial and success’, not ‘trial and error’, so it is more enjoyable and less stressful. typeSmart acknowledges your success with positive feedback; if you make a mistake, the letter does not appear on the screen – the lesson proceeds only when you type the correct letters. You can relax while remaining reasonably alert.Direct Reach brings all fingering to a more or less uniform level of dexterity, thereby allowing for the development of flow and rhythm. This is similar to expert typists who have been able to ‘let go’ of the Home Keys to achieve speed and flow.
- Potentially reduces the risk of keyboard-related injury.
- The Direct Reach method avoids the physically awkward or impossible keystrokes.
- Modern learning principles help to make typing an enjoyable and creative experience, allaying performance anxiety.
The easiest, fastest, and safest method of learning keyboard skills.
typeSmart is a breakthrough in typing technology, the only typing tutor or keyboard skills software that incorporates the:
- Latest research into the effectiveness of typing methods.
- Mind-mapping concept of Tony Buzan.
- Accelerated learning techniques, in particular those of Colin Rose.
typeSmart is based on the standard QWERTY keyboard that everyone already uses, so there’s no need to be switching between keyboards.
Basic keyboard skills can be attained in an average of 4-6 hours of recorded progress, compared to more than 12 hours for traditional typing software. typeSmart halves the time!
typeSmart will give you immediate results, dramatically increase your productivity and greatly improve your enjoyment of using your computer.
