Academy Transformation Trust | Iceni Secondary Academy
Stuart Pryke is an English teacher & Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning. He is co-author of Ready to Teach: Macbeth and A Christmas Carol, and 100 for 100: Macbeth. He delivers national CPD, coaching and NPQ facilitation and his new book, Teacher Hacks: English, will be released in May 2026.
From Hands Up to Minds On: Securing 100% Participation From Every Student When Checking for Understanding
Hands-up questioning can create the illusion of understanding, with only a few confident students doing the thinking. Research on participation ratio and checking for understanding shows the need for every student to be cognitively engaged. In this session, Stuart Pryke explores how teachers can move from hands-up to minds-on through deliberate, high-leverage strategies that make thinking visible, surface misconceptions early, and ensure no student becomes a passenger in learning.
