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The skills of type-writing and short-hand should go together, however, the skill of typing can proceed alone. Short-hand is useless without the skill of typing.

Short-hand is a system of writing in symbols which can be written in few lines and dots and getting guidance from it a neat draft can be typed. The Pitman system of short-hand most popular system in the world

Objectives of teaching short-hand

Important objectives of teaching of short-hand are as under:

1. To prepare the pupil to undertake the job of a stenographer.

2. To improve skill in spelling, punctuation and paragraphing

3. To help the students in binding a business vocabulary and to become word conscious.

4. To help pupil to develop good attitudes such as accuracy, neatness, perseverance and cooperativeness.

5. Automat zing high frequency words, phrases, short or brief forms and their derivatives for a limited vocabulary.

6. To make student understand the place of shorthand in commercial world.

7. To enable the students to form well contrasted outlines.

8. To develop fluency in writing and in reading short-hand.

9. To develop the ability to recognise sounds and to record in short-hand the sounds heard.

10. To develop the ability to take dictation with sufficient speed and with sufficient accuracy.

Methods of Teaching Short-hand

Some of the methods commonly used for teaching of short-hand are as under:

1. Basic Method.

2. Functional Method.

3. Demonstration Method.

4. Laboratory Practice Method.

1. The Basic Method: The three important features of this method are:

(a) It emphasises on verbalized generalizations. Teacher can make use of either deductive or inductive method.

(b) Writing is introduced earlier and some authors even insist on reading approach in the beginning.

(c) Penmanship drills are also provided for class-room practice.

2. Functional Method: Main characteristics of this method are as under:

(a) Reading approach is important and basic to this method. In this the student is required to read well-constructed fluent outlines of about 15-20 lessons and then he starts writing

(b) It emphasises automatisation of correct short-hand responses without learning the rules relating to them.

3. Demonstration Method: Refer to chapter

4. Laboratory Method: For this a laboratory provided with outlines^ keeps, charts, diagrams and pictures of most of the difficult and complex concepts. It provides an atmosphere conducive to the learning of short-hand and helps in learning the skills quickly.

The most soughs for system for teaching of short-hand is Pitman’s system of short-hand.

For teaching by this method teachers has to use Pitman’s Short­hand instructor which is actually a text-book. This contains a complete theory of short-hand. Dictation is given from the text and supplementary publications of the same inventor-author.

Short-hand Teaching Technique

Dr. Khan has given ten techniques (or guidelines) for the teaching of short-hand which is as follows:

1. The teacher should plan the learning situation so that the pupil has opportunity of doing their best.

2. He should know that the students have imagination which can be used by them under proper encouragement.

3. It is possible for the students to learn more than one thing at a time if an opportunity is provided to them.

4. The teacher should start with and build upon what is already known to the student.

5. Write down lesson-plan every day setting down specifically what he wants to do in a particular period and the exact order in which the procedure will be followed.

6. Teacher should keep an experimental attitude in his instructions.

7. Teacher should make frequent use of individual dictation.

8. Teacher should remain in close touch with the students to know the daily growth of the child and to encourage his development in short-hand technique.

9. Teacher should set a good example by freely using short­hand.

10. Teacher should conduct work and make all assignments in terms of time in the class.

Developing Correct Study Habits in Short-hand

1. Keep your left hand fingers on writing material of short-hand and write with right hand fingers on the short-hand note­book

2. Make extensive use of black-board.

3. Make it a habit to read connected materials daily.

4. Practice how to write correctly and how to lift the finger correctly and how to hold the pen correctly.

5. Correct penmanship be taught well to the students.

6. Give assignments for words, outlines, correct spelling, pronunciation etc. to the students. Ask them to practice reading, copying and transcribing at home.

7. Give dictations at varying speeds and that also with varying pauses.

8. Encourage the students to imitate the expert.

9. The class time should be properly divided providing for various activities such as Black-board drills. Reading back from the dictation, Black-board preview, and Brief form recall drills Repetitive dictation, Reading back the material, Recall drills, Roll Call and class adjustments.

Course of Short-hand

The “Pitman’s Short-hand Instructor” Covers the whole course that needs about six-months or year to complete. It is advisable to divide this course into several terms of short duration. All efforts be made to complete the unit in fixed time.

Some experts are of the opinion that the course in short-hand be completed in two years instead of one year. It would provide enough practice to the student and will help him in attaining foil efficiency in the skill.

Dictation in Short-band

An Educationist has opined, “The outlines of short-hand are required to be learnt. But the actual skill is developed in proper dictation practice. While giving dictation the learner should also be taught the principle of taking dictation. The learner is to be guided to develop the power of learning accurately, with speed and make proper outlines of the matter. The group of learners should understand the exercises before the dictation is, given. First dictation can be slow, later it can be taken with speed which is acquired with practice.”