Elementary-Middle School Keyboarding Strategies Guide

Developed through a cooperative effort of many teachers and researchers, this guide is intended to supplement existing elementary and middle school materials on keyboarding. The guide contains sections that are designed for stand-alone use. Topics cover a wide range of strategies, including teaching special needs students. The U.S. Postal Service guidelines for addressing mail and spacing following punctuation are included. The document consists of a large unit containing eight sections and a unit of references. The sections cover the following: (1) why teach keyboarding; (2) when to teach keyboarding skills; (3) curriculum design and articulation; (4) coordinating the efforts of administrators and keyboarding teachers; (5) promoting keyboarding through special activities; (6) classroom management (use of equipment, selection of furniture, use of textbooks, use of software, and classroom configuration); (7) fundamentals of keyboarding (five techniques and three skill conditioners); and (8) tips for teaching keyboarding to regular and special needs students. The unit of references consists of three items: a position statement about keyboarding, a narrative style review of literature and resources, and a list of 19 references. (KC)