Hannah Thomas, Director of Professional Learning

Hannah Thomas, Director of Professional Learning

Bridging Research and Practice: Action Research at Cranbrook

In our first Cranbrook Teachers Talking Teaching (CTTT) session of the term, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Mackenzie Pedersen to share our 2024 Teacher Inquiry Group (TIG) action research projects. This initiative has given us the opportunity to explore, question, and refine our practice through evidence-based inquiry, deepening our understanding of what truly makes an impact in the classroom.

I kicked off the session with my project: Writing to Read: Enhancing Analytical Skills through Creative Writing in Secondary Education.

Over my 14 years as an English teacher, I’ve seen students struggle with literary analysis, particularly in articulating the impact of literary and linguistic devices. Meanwhile, creative writing is often sidelined, despite its potential to deepen engagement with texts.

So, I asked: could creative writing improve students’ analytical skills?

To test this, I worked with a mixed-ability Year 8 class, embedding scaffolded creative writing tasks within an analytical unit. The results were clear:

  • Students who experimented with literary devices in their own writing showed a 7.1% improvement in analysing those same devices in texts.
  •  They reported greater confidence, engagement, and connection to the process of literary analysis.

This reinforces what I’ve always believed: reading and writing work in synergy. Integrating creative writing into analytical instruction doesn’t just make analysis more accessible; it makes it more meaningful.

Mackenzie then presented her research: Why Aren’t Students Asking Questions? Can This Skill Be Taught?

Her study found that students overwhelmingly ask closed, superficial questions, often seeking validation rather than deeper understanding. Fear of peer judgment was a major barrier.

To address this, she implemented Question Formulation Technique (QFT) with Year 7 and Year 9 science classes, explicitly teaching students how to craft open-ended questions. The results?

  • Year 9 students showed a notable increase in higher-order questioning.
  • However, their confidence in asking teachers for help declined, highlighting the need for more than just instruction: a supportive, inquiry-driven classroom culture is essential.

Her findings emphasise the importance ofteacher modelling, engagement strategies, and fostering a classroom environment where curiosity thrives.

A huge thank you to Tara Schmidtke for overseeing TIG and to Dr Shani Hartley for her guidance throughout these projects. Research-driven teaching is powerful, and I’m excited to see how these insights continue to shape our practice.

Hannah Thomas
Director of Professional Learning