How to Type, How to Learn

Now my thesis is out the way there are a few projects that I had been putting off which I can now work on, one of which is to learn to type!  Now it would have made sense to learn to type before i had to write my thesis, but truth be told my slow error laden typing was little hindrance to the rate at which i was able to produce the document.  I found this great site for learning to type which is without all the annoying frills many of these programs come with.  Most impressive though was that it started off by instructing the student how to learn, and offered these principles of effective learning:

• No mistakes. Always be sure and in control. Follow the principle of 100% correct practice: to make a mistake is to learn incorrect things, and to confuse that which you already know.
• Slower is faster. Speed comes from certainty. The more you type things correctly, no matter how slow it has to be, the more certain you will be, and the faster you will become a proficient typist. Increase speed only when you feel sure enough to do so.
• Don't look at the keyboard! If you don't know where a key is, look at the keyboard to find it, then look away and type the key. Do not guess; always be sure.
• Relax. No unnecessary or dysfunctional tension!
• Hit the keys squarely in the center. If you find you aren't consistently doing so, SLOW DOWN!!! It should feel good to type!

These principles apply equally (with only slight modification) to other skill development, e.g. playing a musical instrument, or operating a vehicle.  Getting the right principles in place at the beginning has a profound affect on the consequent learning and its chances of success, hmm now I wonder how this might illustrate the Christian life? . . .