The Trinity Ecosystem: Learning, Assessment and Teacher Development

Autumn 2026 Webinar Series 

In today’s rapidly evolving educational landscape, language teaching must respond to new technologies, changing learner needs, and the increasing importance of real-world communication skills.
This five-part webinar series, presented by digital learning expert Russell Stannard in collaboration with Trinity College London, explores how innovative tools, modern assessment practices, and effective teacher development can work together to create meaningful language learning experiences.

Across the series, participants will explore how Trinity’s integrated ecosystem brings together digital learning tools, communicative language assessment, and internationally recognised professional development to support both learners and teachers.

 

Through five focused webinars, participants will discover fresh perspectives on motivating learners, building confidence in speaking, and creating purposeful and engaging language learning experiences. The sessions will also offer practical ideas for developing communicative skills, encouraging learner autonomy, and making assessment a positive and motivating part of the learning journey rather than simply an end goal. At the same time, the series will examine how teachers can continue to grow professionally, adapting their practice to meet the demands of modern classrooms while maintaining a strong focus on communication and real-world language use.

 

Each webinar provides practical insights, inspiring examples, and classroom-ready strategies that teachers can apply immediately in their own teaching contexts. Whether you are looking to enhance learner motivation, strengthen communicative competence, or expand your professional expertise, this series offers a valuable opportunity to explore how teaching, learning, and assessment can work together to support confident, effective, and purposeful language use in today’s classrooms.

Meet the Speakers

russell-stannardRussell Stannard is a multi-award-winning Educational Technologist and the founder of Teacher Training Videos (www.teachertrainingvideos.com), a widely used platform supporting language educators in integrating technology into their teaching. His YouTube channel has attracted over 100,000 subscribers, reflecting the global reach of his work.
He specialises in training language educators to use digital tools to enhance teaching and learning, with a particular focus on extending learning beyond the classroom through online technologies. His work also includes blended learning design, educational technology consultancy, and the integration of AI in language education.
Russell is a NILE Affiliate Trainer (Norwich Institute for Language Education) and a TechSmith Recommended Trainer for Camtasia and Snagit. He has received awards from Times Higher Education, the British Council ELTons, and the University of Westminster for his contributions to technology in education. 

Anna BennettHead of Product Support (English Language) at Trinity College London in Italy, where she leads the design and development of pedagogical support materials for teachers preparing learners for Trinity College London English language examinations. She is a teacher trainer with extensive experience in both the state and private education sectors in Italy and the United Kingdom, with a strong focus on communicative language teaching, assessment literacy, and teacher professional development. She regularly delivers masterclasses on the effective and principled use of technology in language education and is an international conference speaker. She is a member of EALTA and the National College of Teachers and has collaborated with the Trinity College London support team in Italy and central Europe for over ten years. She is also the author of the learning content featured in Trinity College London’s Skill Up! learning app. Her current professional interests centre on research-informed digital pedagogy, with particular attention to enhancing learner engagement and critically evaluating where technology can meaningfully add value to language teaching and learning.

Manuela Kelly Calzini

Manuela Kelly Calzini is Senior Academic for English Language at Trinity College London Italy and Lecturer in Primary Education Sciences at the University of Florence. She works in the field of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education with a particular focus on teacher education and continuing professional development.

Her work centres on the development of communicative competence in the language classroom, with specific attention to speaking pedagogy, interaction and mediation in line with the CEFR and the action-oriented approach. She regularly designs and delivers professional development programmes for teachers, supporting the integration of communicative methodologies, storytelling, drama-based learning and collaborative speaking tasks in classroom practice.

Her areas of interest include early language learning, the teaching of speaking, and the use of drama and storytelling as pedagogical tools to foster meaningful language use, learner engagement and the development of social and communicative skills.

She collaborates with schools, universities and educational networks in Italy and internationally, contributing to teacher training initiatives, summer schools and professional communities of practice dedicated to innovation in language education.