Case studies
Curriculum Specialist at a California charter school alliance
We use Touch-type Read and Spell as a typing program for 2nd to 8th graders in the three charter schools that we work with. We also have high school students who request to use the program. Typing is a popular curriculum choice, and we like TTRS because it’s not only teaching typing, but also spelling. In our model, teachers typically offer suggestions, but parents make the final decisions about which programs to use. We have a varied student body and we see value in promoting TTRS to all of our learners.
Lisa, Teacher in a small rural school
I was excited when we discovered Touch-type Read and Spell. We are a small, rural pre-K through 12th-grade school located on an island in Alaska. Many of our lessons have to be flexible for multi-age classes that can include first through high school age students. We do not have a tech lab specialist so it's great that TTRS is easy to deliver. I've tried the program myself, as I have never had any typing instruction, and found I even benefitted from the technique!
Bolton College, Adult Education
We offer the TTRS course to self-study adult learners who have returned to education to improve their spelling, increase their familiarity with technology, and use word processors. We find that many of our adult learners did not engage with spelling when they first attended school, and that the conventional ‘look-cover- spell-check’ and spelling test approach had a detrimental effect on their learning. In contrast, Touch-type Read and Spell provides a rewarding and positive experience for them.
North East Lancashire Dyslexia Association
We were looking for typing software that would teach keyboarding, but also help students make progress in terms of literacy skills development. Particularly for adults who struggle with literacy skills, it can be difficult to admit there is a problem and even harder to seek help in the form of private tutoring. Therefore, the fact that our mature learners could learn independently with TTRS meant they had access to literacy support without the embarrassment they might feel in a classroom setting.
Samantha, Adult learner who works in family business
When I was at school it wasn’t as popular to talk about dyslexia. Reading I’m okay with but with spelling it’s another story. Over the years I’ve sort of self-taught myself typing, but I really like learning with Touch-type Read and Spell and it’s made a difference for me at work already! That’s because it makes me think about what I’m typing. When I write emails I normally look up and there are about ten red lines with errors. Now it’s about half that, and that’s only from using TTRS for 3-4 weeks.
Denise, Parent of a learner with Down syndrome
My son Josiah is 12 and he has Down syndrome. He can’t spell very well so we have the TTRS Settings set to Remember & Repeat. In this way he sees, hears and types a word and then the word goes away so he has to type it again. This helps strengthen his memory for the written forms. I'm pleased with TTRS because while Josiah doesn’t have a lot of words per minute, he is actually touch-typing. Eventually, he’ll get faster, but for right now he’s doing great and he feels very proud of himself – and that’s what counts!
Suzanne, Homeschooler of a child with ADD and dyslexia
My son was diagnosed with ADD, auditory processing disorder, dyslexia and dysgraphia in early elementary school. I signed up for a trial of TTRS and discovered he really liked the program and that it was helping him bring things together in terms of his reading, spelling and typing. The course also made a difference for his note-taking skills, mainly thanks to the dictation exercises where you listen to words and type them out at the same time.
Amylee, Parent of a middle-school student struggling with spelling
My middle daughter was having some problems with literacy skills. When I told her that we weren’t going to do spelling anymore, just keyboarding, we were both relieved. She felt less stressed and I knew we wouldn’t be butting heads. The first thing I noticed was a shift from her saying “I have no idea how to spell it,” to being able to give me the first few letters. It wasn’t an overnight change, but gradually, her spelling improved.
Alle, Homeschooler of two children
I homeschool my children who are in fourth and fifth grade. We got Touch-type Read and Spell primarily for typing, but with the phonics support it’s benefited their spelling skills as well. They love telling me they got a 99% today and showing me the graph that has their scores on the different modules. I’ve noticed they’re more confident and that there’s been an improvement in their ability to sound out words too. Now, when they have long writing assignments, they always opt for typing their final papers.