Adapting ELT resources – webinars

This is the second event in our webinar series on practical approaches for your teaching context. Our first session explores how to adapt teaching resources so that they are relevant and engaging for your learners. We explore personalisation and simple ways to connect classroom learning to real-world experiences. Our second session focuses on some of the challenges of teaching large, mixed-ability classes and offers strategies to ensure all learners are challenged, supported and engaged – whatever their level. Finally, expert teachers share activities and advice for adapting teaching materials for their learners. The live event took place on 15 May 2026.

About the sessions

Session 1: Personalising your materials

Speaker

Leonardo Marinho Dias Lima

Session information

Do you ever find that published materials do not quite fit your learners’ lives, interests or learning goals? In this webinar you will learn how to creatively adapt existing materials using a simple, three-step framework: Connect, Adapt, Empower. We explore learn how to connect activities to learners’ real-world contexts, adapt content to be more inclusive or challenging, and use simple digital tools to personalise. Learn practical ideas to make your teaching more responsive, relevant, and impactful for the unique individuals in your classrooms. This webinar is suitable for teachers of secondary learners. 

Download Leo’s handout

Session 2: Strategies for diverse classrooms 

Speakers

Omar Habbaz

About the session

Every classroom contains a diverse range of learners. Some race through tasks quickly, while others need more time. Some love group discussion, while others prefer to work quietly on their own. This interactive webinar shares practical ways to move beyond 'teaching to the middle’ and create an inclusive learning environment. You learn how to provide scaffolding for learners who need more support, and how meaningful challenge can be added for those who are ready. This webinar is suitable for teachers of upper primary and secondary learners.  

Download Omar’s handout

Session 3: Teachers share: How do we adapt our materials?

Speakers

Wissal Ben Rhouma, Stavroula Bagia and Elena Orlandi

About the session

Three expert teachers from around the world share activities and advice for tailoring lesson materials to their learners and their teaching context. 

Download the Teachers share handout

About the speakers

Leonardo Marinho Dias Lima is a Brazilian ELT educator, a Hornby Trust alumnus and teacher trainer. His work focuses on teacher development, practical pedagogy and the ethical use of AI in education. He has extensive experience as an academic coordinator, helping teachers creatively adapt curricula to diverse classroom realities. 

Omar Habbaz has 20 years of experience teaching English in high schools and foreign language programmes in Morocco. He now works as a teacher educator and coaches teachers in face-to-face and online settings. His work focuses on school and leadership reform and addressing a range of teaching and learning challenges, particularly in low-resourced educational environments. 

Wissal Ben Rhouma is an early-career teacher from Tunisia who teaches both online and face-to-face classes for a school in Singapore. She will talk about how a teacher can help learners get more out of listening tasks.

Elena Orlandi is an English language teacher from Italy. She has many years of experience with students of all ages, and now teaches online for British Council. Elena will share her ideas for adapting lessons, specifically about pre-teaching vocabulary.

Stavroula Bagia is an experienced teacher based in Athens, Greece. She teaches teenagers and adults, as well as mentoring other teachers. Stavroula will show you the small but effective changes she makes to listening lessons.