VIEWS & OPINION
Why touch typing can be the solution to summer learning loss
Comment by Sheraleen Braganza SHERALEEN BRAGANZA, KAZ Type
The six-week summer holiday may be a welcome break for students, but many of them will struggle when they return to school. While much of the research comes from the US, where holidays are longer, the consensus is that children can lose up to a month of learning gains.* Some parents turn to maths and English tuition in the holidays, but children do not necessarily want or need more of the same. Summer holidays provide an opportunity for children to learn new skills and one of the most
useful is touch typing. It involves muscle memory, and as children learn patterns on the keyboard, they use a kinaesthetic approach to spelling instead of just relying on visual memory and phonics. It also improves the quality of their writing as they can focus on content and structure instead of using so much of their brain power to form each letter. Learning to type quickly and accurately without looking down at the keyboard is a valuable skill for all children. Most jobs involve using computers, and young people who go on to university or train as programmers will be typing millions of lines of text during their working lives. John Sutherland, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at University College, says, ‘You want to put wings on the heels of your children? Teach them to touch type. They’ll bless you for it.’
Many schools and parents have adopted KAZ Type’s inclusive touch- typing software because: • Our Accelerated Learning teaching method teaches the skill quickly and easily to pupils aged six years plus, and we cater for learners with dyslexia, hearing and visual impairment as well
• KAZ offers the only national Ofqual regulated qualifications in touch typing skills (Level 1 & 2) for learners who want to verify their skill. All successful learners have the qualification added to their education records
• The software has been shortlisted for several academic awards • KAZ is a DofE Approved Activity Skills Provider, offering their online course toward the Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards
https://kaz-type.com/ duke-of-edinburgh-bronze-silver-gold-award
The summer holidays need not be a time of learning regression and missed opportunities. Learning to touch type offers an effective solution to bridge the learning gap. Parents and teachers can offer encouragement and support by providing incentives, such as a reward for reaching a certain speed or accuracy level. They can also integrate touch typing into summer learning activities by having pupils type out summaries of books they have read or journal entries about their summer experiences. By investing a small portion of their time each day, young people can transform their summer break into a period of growth and development. Our Accelerated Learning teaching method teaches the a-z keys in just 90 minutes. This is one reason why it is popular with schools. In fact, some teachers are using the summer to learn touch typing to reduce their admin time when they return to school. What better recommendation could there be?
Find out more at:
https://kaz-type.com *
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1170523?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
AI: evolving the way we teach Comment by ELIZABETH ELLIS, Head of School of Digital Education at Arden University
The way in which we are working is rapidly changing. It would be somewhat foolish to expect students to not also adapt to these times. In fact, students adopting the technology the workplace and industries are utilising now along with their studies is beneficial for them as they are more “work ready”; we could argue, therefore, that the same thinking applies when students decide to use ChatGPT to write essays. Many workplaces are taking advantage of the benefits of AI, so why can’t students? Of course, the answer is obvious: if
students are using AI for assessment, are they truly demonstrating what they have learned? Will they still be an asset to the jobs market post-graduation? There are many concerns around using ChatGPT and we are well aware of the lack of emotional intelligence and the missing ‘human touch’ in AI’s work. We must always retain a person’s input. ChatGPT may be trained enough to pass the bar exam, for example, but how well can it assess the intricacies of the human mind that impacts the legal system and the deep analyses of legal cases? So, educational institutions should be focusing on those skills insulated from automation: interpersonal or ‘human’ skills. These are the tasks that software cannot replace and will become increasingly important in the future. The ChatGPT uproar and AI moral panic begs for an entirely different approach – the education system should really be asking, ‘If AI can regurgitate information already, should we be asking our students to do the same?’. Written exams, especially, are just that: they require students to churn out information from memory
July/August 2023
without really testing the practical skills they will need in their careers. A case study from Estonia is a good example of how business needs are changing; students can study the traditional academically oriented bachelor studies or opt for applied higher education, which involves teaching the specific practical skills students will need in their careers post-graduation. Shortly after graduation, the graduates of applied higher education courses get almost 20% higher salary and have six percentage points higher employment rate. Degrees alone are now not enough – transferable skills are much needed, and readily rewarded. This shift will involve offering assessments that step away from traditional examinations. At Arden University, for example, we offer a range of practical assignments by assessing our students on their ability to navigate real-life challenges. Our policing students’ assessments utilise Augmented Reality, looking at how successfully they can complete a crime scene investigation, and our business students are assessed on how well their business model withstands operations, supply chains and productivity issues. These practical assessments allow us to prepare our students for their careers post-graduation, giving them ‘workplace-ready’ skills.
With AI shifting the way we work, how we teach students will have to change. Teachers were once afraid of letting students use calculators for exams – but they actually allowed students to solve more complicated questions. The same applies here – AI may create the spaces for our students to demonstrate their approach to more complicated, nuanced and ‘more human’ matters, which is why educational institutions should ask themselves if their approach to assessment is a true reflection of what their students are truly capable of.
www.education-today.co.uk 33
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