Embedding creativity in the English classroom by Matt Bromley
Is creativity a dying art in the English classroom? In our latest Let's Talk English blog. education expert, Matt Bromley delves into this question andprovides his five top tips on how English teachers can harness creativity in the classroom.
I remember the first lesson I ever taught. It was Year 7 poetry, and, as an introduction to the topic, I chose William Blake’s The Tyger.
If you’re not familiar with the poem, written in 1794, then here’s a quick synopsis: The poem is a series of questions about the nature of God and creation, with the speaker, presumably Blake, a deeply religious man, asking if the same God who created the meek and mild lamb could also have forged the fierce and fearsome tiger.
The poem is an expression of wonder at the tiger and its power, and by extension at the power of both nature and God. But the tiger also stands as a symbol for one of religion's most difficult questions: why does God allow evil to exist alongside good?
The poem is rich, not just in images, but in sounds. It must be performed, not simply read.
In my lesson, to help learners grasp the rhythm of the poem, I asked them to line up in single file and march like an army, feet pounding on the classroom floor. The rhythm of the poem – trochaic tetrameter – matches the beat of the famous army chant, ‘I Don’t Know, But I’ve Been Told’.
Each time we reached the word ‘what’, my learners would then stop and bang their fists on a nearby table. This, I told them, emulated the sound of a blacksmith hammering metal into shape, the frequency growing more rapid, frantic, as the poem progressed. This helped learners to understand the central motif of the poem which compares God to a blacksmith, forging the “fearful symmetry” of the tiger in the red-hot heat of his furnace. A picture of a blacksmith at work was displayed on the board.
We did lots more besides this, but you get the idea. I brought that poem to life through creativity.
Creativity… a dying art in the English classroom?
We English teachers are under more pressure these days to ‘teach to the test’, focusing on exam technique, formulaic essay structures, and specific interpretations of set texts. This allows less time for exploratory activities like creative writing, drama, or debate. Let alone marching round the room banging tables!
The English curriculum, particularly at Key Stage 4, is also more tightly controlled now. There’s a rigid focus on a handful of canonical texts, an emphasis on traditional literary analysis rather than personal engagement or imaginative response, and little space for modern, diverse voices, which could foster more authentic and creative discussions.
And let’s not forget that teachers often feel creatively stifled by heavy administrative workloads and accountability pressures (both internal and external), and there is less autonomy in lesson planning and content selection than there used to be.
English and creativity go hand in hand
Creative writing & self expression
English is uniquely apt for fostering creativity because it is fundamentally aboutexpression,imagination, andinterpretation. Unlike many other disciplines that focus primarily on fixed answers or procedural knowledge, English invites learners to engage with language in open-ended, personal, and inventive ways.
English empowers learners to use language tocreate arguments, stories, poems, characters – and whole new worlds. The very act of choosing words, crafting sentences, and shaping narratives is inherently creative. Creative writingoffers a direct route to self-expression and imaginative exploration. Figurative language - metaphor, simile, symbolism - encourages learners to think abstractly and originally. And experimentation with form(e.g., prose poetry, scripts, letters, monologues) allows learners to break boundaries.
Literature & empathy
Elements of English also thrive on thepluralityof meaning. Literary texts are open to diverse readings - historical, feminist, postcolonial, psychological, etc. Learners are encouraged to develop andjustifytheir own interpretations, which nurtures divergent thinking and confidence in original thought.
Literature exposes learners to a range of perspectives, cultures, emotions, and moral dilemmas, sparking empathy and reflection. Reading about complex characters and situations fostersemotional imagination. Engaging with different voices and styles encourages learners to try out new identities and ways of seeing.
English often involves speaking, listening, performing, and debating – dynamic, collaborative acts that demand quick thinking, persuasion, and improvisation. Drama and role-play build creative confidence. Group discussions foster inventive, layered interpretations.
Conventions & creativity
While writing and analysis in English involve certain conventions (e.g., essay structures, literary techniques, etc.), these frameworks can support rather than hinder creativity. After all, learners cansubvertforms once they understand them. And constraints (e.g., a sonnet’s rhyme scheme) often stimulate rather than suppress creativity.
English invites learners to connect their inner lives with the outer world. Writing a speech, letter, or blog post involves creatively adapting tone and register for an audience. And exploring issues like identity, justice, love, and power helps learners articulate personal and social concerns.
How can we bring back creativity in the classroom?
As teachers, we can harness this creativity by:
- Asking learners to rewrite a scene from a different character’s point of view or in a new setting. What if Romeo and Julietwas set in a dystopian future? What if Lady Macbeth was innocent? What if the narrator ofOf Mice and Menwere Crooks?
- Making creative writing a habit by starting lessons with5-minute free writes, prompts, or ‘slow-looking’ exercises based on an image or line of poetry, or by using structured activities like story cubesor random prompt generators, blackout poetryusing newspaper articles, and flash fiction(100-word stories).
- Teaching the process, not just the product. Instead of only modelling end-results, we can teach learners how writersbuild ideas, play withvoice, andrevise creatively. We can usemodel texts(including learner work) to deconstruct craft.
- Bringing texts to life by using strategies such as hot seating,tableaux, orscriptwriting. We can encourage dramatic readings, too, not just for Shakespeare, but for any text with dialogue.
- Allowing learners tochoosehow they respond: an essay, a podcast, a film storyboard, a dramatic monologue, and so on.
Creativity in English isn’t about abandoning rigour; it’s about deepening engagement and allowing learners to makemeaningful, personalconnections to language and literature.
About the author
Matt Bromley is CEO ofbeeand Chair of theBuilding Equity in Education Campaign. He is aneducation journalist, author, and advisor with twenty-five years’ experiencein teaching and leadership. Matt is a public speaker, trainer, initial teacher training lecturer, and school improvement advisor. He remains a practising teacher, currently working in secondary, FE and HE settings. He co-hosts an award-winning podcast and istheauthor of numerous best-selling books on education,including The Stories We Tell, which examines the powerful role stories can play in schools both as a curriculum/teaching tool and framework for school improvement: