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Article by Charlie Gilderdale

Published 2011 Revised 2017

Enriching Networks, Inspiring Teachers


The NRICH Team have organised a series of three Teacher Inspiration Days in Cambridge this year. The aim has been to support mathematics teachers who are committed to nurturing confident, resourceful and enthusiastic learners.

At the final workshop delegates met to consider how different schools were setting about the task of ensuring that problem solving was an integral part of their curriculum.

Susanne Mallett and Mark Dawes from Comberton Village College shared their experiences, based on the work they had done with the NRICH team on the QCA Engaging Mathematics for all Learners Project:

They set the scene with a short introduction and a handout.

Their workshop offered delegates an opportunity to work on three NRICH problems:

  • Quadrilaterals
  • Legs Eleven
  • Crossed Ends
NRICH problems contain Teachers' Notes which address the following headings:
  • Why do this problem?
  • Possible approach
  • Key questions
  • Possible extension
  • Possible support

Teachers at Comberton Village College have been using these prompts to help them to consider how to make the most of NRICH problems.

Finally they shared these useful ways of promoting the use of NRICH resources in their department.


Catherine Carre and Fran Watson from Sharnbrook Upper School also shared their experience of using a couple of NRICH problems with all their Year 10 students:

  • Zin Obelisk
  • Shapely Pairs
This was a starting point for the maths department to consider how to integrate NRICH resources more widely into their curriculum.

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The NRICH Project aims to enrich the mathematical experiences of all learners. To support this aim, members of the NRICH team work in a wide range of capacities, including providing professional development for teachers wishing to embed rich mathematical tasks into everyday classroom practice.

NRICH is part of the family of activities in the Millennium Mathematics Project.

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