Just realized son is hitting keys with wrong fingers (typing)

[JavaFinch]

I bought my son Type to Learn 4 a while back.  He got about half way through it, maybe not quite, and then we didn't do anything all summer.  We just started back up again a couple weeks ago and now on Friday I realized, while watching him more closely, that he is doing a lot of things really wrong.  I shoudn't have just given him to program and assumed that if he just did it on his own, he'd learn to type.

My concerns are:

Biggest concern - I noticed he is hitting keys with the wrong fingers!  Like the "T" he'll sometimes use his pointer finger, but then a lot of the time he'll use the middle one! 

Then he hits the keys on the edges, not squarely in the middle - it looks really sloppy (like he'll never be able to be an accurate typist that way)

And then third, he wants to have his elbows out, so his hands, instead of being more perpendicular to the keyboard, they're more like an upside-down V.

Soooo, can anyone relate to any of these issues and do you have any advice on how to help him?  He's 12 and very (VERY) stubborn and hates to take instruction from me.  I am kind of standing over his shoulder now, telling him when he uses the wrong finger, reminding him to keep his elbows in, to hit the keys more squarely ... but as you can imagine, this is NOT going well!  He does NOT want me to do this. 

It's not possible that he'll work these issues out on his own, is it?  If I just let him keep going, will he just cement bad habits?  I just feel that typing speed is important these days.  He's interested in computers and programming and things like that, so I really want to make sure he can type.

Thanks!

[Amatullah0]

I type just like your son (I do everything that you mentioned in your post), and I type well, and fast, without looking at the keyboard. I used typing programs when I was younger, and this is just how I type comfortably. I spend a good chunk of my day typing. 

I say you needn't worry about it and even if he is a slower typer now, practice will make him faster, and if his current positioning is uncomfortable for him, mention he might be more comfortable if he _____s and leave it at that. 

[dejagerw]

Can he type without looking at the keys? My husband types rather fast with his fingers on the wrong keys, but he has to look down at the keyboard. I type correctly, and don't need to look down. Maybe if you see if he can type with a paper over his hands on the keyboard. Maybe when he realizes he can't, he'll be more motivated to learn the proper way to type so that he can do it blind.

[JavaFinch]

Thank you.

He does look at the keys when he types, but when doing the lessons he tries not to.  But when just typing for his own use, he'll still look, because he doesn't know the whole keyboard. 

I talked with a friend and she thought maybe I should just put it away for now.  But the comment above makes me think maybe I'll just let him keep plugging along and just encourage him to follow the instructions because there is a reason behind them, but then leave him alone to make his own mistakes.  I do NOT want to keep hounding him. 

Would love to hear more opinions if anyone has any :)

[Cyllya]

I don't even know if I type with the "correct" fingers, but I'm guessing I don't. When we had to take a typing class in school, I pretty much rebelled and typed however I darn-well pleased, lol. And I kept typing however I darn-well pleased during a multitude of typing-related hobbies, so I can now type fine without looking at the keyboard. I do data entry for a living, even.

[Venia]

I type incorrectly as well. I took a formal class in high school and know the proper technique.  However, I choose not to use it because it requires too much effort, is uncomfortable and generally slows me down.  My choice to type improperly has never hindered my career (scientist) or education.

My kids are still young, but I do plan to teach them how to type properly and want them to be able to demonstrate that they can do so when asked.  As far as maintaining proper technique when they are not working on typing lessons?  Well that is really up to what works best for them since I am no shining example, lol.  

[Fillyjonk]

As others have said, can he type fast, and accurately, without looking? If so, it really does not matter that he uses the wrong keys.

I don't type "correctly". As a student I did various secretarial work, and so I know that at one point I was hitting 100 words per minute, typing entirely incorrectly. I've slipped a LOT, and my accuracy isn't what it was at all, but just to show that it is not actually a major issue. The big thing, I think, is that he should have a system that he always uses, which would probably be using the SAME finger each time to hit the same key, even if its not the one that the books say.

[Lillian J]

My son is in his twenties, and has been typing accurately at lighting speed since his teens without using standard keyboarding technique. He'd practiced just a bit with the various typing programs I'd bought him when he was younger than yours, but he never took them seriously. It was later, when he had things he wanted to type, that he got into just typing - but in his own freestyle way - and really flew with it. I took two years of typing in high school, but I don't think I ever got as fast as he is - I think there's some advantage, as in so many other things, to finding your own way. I really, really wouldn't give it a moment's worry, especially since he doesn't like instruction. With someone like that, you're much better off giving him a wide berth and letting him find his own way - don't worry about what might seem to you like bad habits. It's actually pretty exciting to see what that type of learner can accomplish on his own.   Lillian