Teaching typing isn’t easy. Most students find it hard to stay engaged while practicing the same keys over and over. For teachers, it can be difficult to measure progress and keep students learning.
That’s why we’ve opted to use games and incorporated gamification to teach K-12 students how to type. Gamification not only helps students learn better, but also makes life easier for instructors.
Let’s Face It: Learning Typing can be Boring
On its own, typing practice is extremely repetitive. Even as an adult, it’s hard to stay engaged when you’re typing the same meaningless phrases or patterns over and over. For a growing child with a short attention span, it’s even harder.
By turning typing into a game and adding gamification features, you can quickly transform the task into something fun and engaging. Extra practice with a difficult keyboard pattern isn’t very different than working through a difficult level in a video game. Students are much more likely to get into a ‘flow’ state and stay invested in their learning.
At Typing Agent, teachers tell us that they often see students choosing to do more lessons on their own time. Learning to type keyboard letters faster might not be motivating on its own, but knowing that when you’re done with your lesson you earn points to play even more games, unlock a higher level or personalized your avatar is!
Games Reward Students for Progress
Games give students rewards for continuing to work on their typing skills. For children, something as simple as personalizing your avatar or unlocking a higher level can be surprisingly motivating.
With some game-based typing programs, students earn points for completed lessons. They can then use their points to “purchase” personalized avatars and additional games and more. Students can also earn badges that allow them to show off their achievements.
Gamification Allows You to Leverage Peer Competition
Multiplayer games give students the extra motivation of trying to win a low-key competition. It’s amazing how much more kids focus when they are competing against their peers! In addition, multiplayer games can be used as a fun reward that reinforces the lessons.
Gamified typing programs may also offer a leaderboard option so the most advanced students can see how they rank against their peers. For many students, the opportunity to reach the top of the pack is all the motivation needed to go the extra mile.
Gamified Typing Instruction is Good for Teachers
The gamified approach makes it easier for instructors to track student progress. Instead of having a traditional exam, testing is built into the game so that teachers can see how students are doing in real-time.
Typing Agent, for example, has a wide range of reporting features. You can check class averages, access automatic grading, and build your own custom report based on progress tracked through the games.
You can also see a live student activity stream to find out what students are working on during class.
The Right Typing Program for Your Students
Typing Agent is a 100% web-based, interactive keyboarding and technology program. Our highly gamified K-12 curriculum automatically adapts to each student.
With advanced and customizable reporting features, we make tracking progress easy for both instructors and school districts. Contact us today to request a demo.
