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2210

Technology to Support Literacy for Learners with Complex Needs

Starts 3rd November, 2026 • 5-week course • £225 per individual

Welcome to this CALL Scotland course on Technology to Support Literacy for Learners with Complex Needs. This is an online 5-week course with live workshops on Tuesdays from 4.00 - 5.00pm delivered by Claire Harrison, the CALL Scotland team and guest speakers.

This course would suit anyone involved with supporting children and young people with complex learning needs within a specialist provision, mainstream or special school.

This is an ideal course to undertake as part of practitioner enquiry and will support you in making changes to your teaching practice and ultimately improving the learner experience.

What you'll get

  • As well as the live face-to-face sessions, you'll also receive a recording of the meeting (and resources) each week.
  • Weekly Q&A sessions.
  • Access to a bank of ideas and ready-made resources.
  • A CALL Scotland (University of Edinburgh) certificate - issued as evidence of your learning.

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About the course

This is an online 5-week course with live workshops on Tuesdays from 4.00 - 5.00pm delivered by Claire Harrison, the CALL Scotland team and guest speakers. This course would suit anyone involved with supporting children and young people with complex learning needs within a specialist provision, mainstream or special school.

Participants will be asked to reflect on what literacy should look like for children and young people with complex learning needs. And in doing so, explore technology tools and strategies that support the development of emergent literacy skills for learners with access and learning challenges. Participants will explore alternative access to reading and writing for learners who use eye gaze, switches and touch and learn about relevant hardware, software and apps for Windows, iPads and Chromebook devices. Participants will be expected to actively participate in the online workshops through discussions and reflective questions.

The structure of the course will be as follows:

  • Week 1 (3rd November): An introduction to literacy, complex needs & Assistive Technology.
  • Week 2 (10th November): Technology to Support Reading.
  • Week 3 (17th November: Technology to Support Writing.
  • Week 4 (24th November): Technology to Support Alphabetic & Phonological Awareness.
  • Week 5 (1st December): 'Wow' tools, putting it into practice and where next?

You can expect...

  • 5 hours of online learning
  • Weekly further reading and information
  • Weekly Q&A and participation activities
  • Access to a bank of ideas and ready-made resources

Also...

  • This is an ideal course to undertake as part of practitioner enquiry and will support you in making changes to your teaching practice and ultimately improving the learner experience.

Course details

  • Starts 3rd November, 2026.
  • 5-week course (Tue 3 Nov - 1 Dec 2026).
  • 4:00pm - 5:00pm (UK time zone).
  • £225 per individual.

Course tutors

Claire Harrison and the CALL Scotland team are your course tutors. Who have many years of experience in supporting children and young people with complex learning needs.

How to connect

Our live sessions are delivered using Microsoft Teams and we provide full joining instructions. There are a maximum of 50 participants so everyone can have an interactive collegiate learning experience.

Further questions

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions before signing up: claire.harrison@ed.ac.uk

Aims of the course

Learning Outcomes

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