Limespring Touch Typing

An intensive course of touch-typing for children aged 6-16..
(also available during term time and for one week over summer).

Touch typing is gaining in popularity because keyboards are common in all aspects of our lives and is a useful skill to have. Equally, it is a particularly useful skill for children to learn, especially so for children with learning differences such as dyslexia and dyspraxia.

Writing in class slows things down - touch typing increases the amount of written work produced and they can go over work and correct it much more easily.

The teacher, and others, can access the child's work much more easily getting over the 'I simply cannot read what s/he has written' challenge.

Touch typing improves spelling, by linking touch to patterns of spelling.

The Limespring Touch Typing programme uses the Englishtype system as its main method of teaching. It is designed to maximise additional educational benefits at the same time as teaching typing and supports general literacy learning: improves reading, spelling, grammar and punctuation. It enables the learner to:

Use all the words in the National Literacy Strategy.

Use real words from the first lesson rather than nonsense words or gibberish that can be very confusing, and even damaging, to literacy skills.

Progress at their own speed with no peer group pressures leading to a positive learning experience.

Advance through a combination of short, motivating lessons and arcade-style games to encourage painless practice.

Develop physical dexterity which can improve hand writing.

The Lessons run on Monday and Tuesday 4.00- 5.00pm based in purpose-designed and well-equipped premises at Limespring School in East Finchley, using the latest in assistive and interactive technology.

Each programme runs for 5 sessions of an hour per session. By the end of the programme learners will be have attained a good skill level – and, if desired, a further advanced programme can be accessed.

The cost of the programme includes a home version of the Englishtype package to enable practice between sessions.