Cross-Training

Creative writing and analytical writing are often seen as separate skills, taught in separate lessons with separate success criteria.

Yet the homework task I set on Tuesday reminded me how interlinked these skills are.

Sometimes, the best way to teach a student about narrative viewpoint is not to set them yet more analytical paragraphs, but to give them a creative writing task that asks them to use that technique themselves.

It reminds me of ‘cross-training’ in sport: boxers skip to sharpen their footwork, rugby players use the gym to build strength, and footballers do sprint training to improve their speed.

Not only does this develop skills that transfer between disciplines, but it also keeps the subject fresh, engaging and inspiring. Death by analysis is all too common in GCSE English classes!