During periods of school closures and remote learning, educators and parents often seek reliable, no-cost materials to support student learning. The provided source material from the Build Math Minds platform details a collection of free training videos and curated daily task guides aimed at supporting elementary mathematics education. These resources are designed to be accessible without requiring an email address or membership, making them suitable for immediate use by teachers, parents, and caregivers. The materials focus on pedagogical approaches to mathematics instruction rather than traditional worksheets or packets, emphasizing understanding over rote practice.
The resources are hosted on the Build Math Minds website, a platform founded by Christina Tondevold, who describes herself as a "Recovering Traditionalist." The platform's mission is to change the way elementary math is taught by building a deeper understanding of how children learn mathematics. The free resources were made available in response to the challenges posed by school closures, specifically noting the uncertainty and need for support during the Coronavirus pandemic. The goal was to provide materials that could be used both by classroom teachers planning for the return of students and by parents facilitating learning at home.
Overview of Available Free Resources
The primary collection of free resources is available at buildmathminds.com/resources. This page houses a variety of training videos. According to the source material, these videos include:
* Trainings that Christina Tondevold has conducted through her vlog.
* Trainings from other presenters that were originally part of the Virtual Math Summit, which are typically only accessible to members of the Build Math Minds professional development (PD) site.
* Additional training materials pulled from inside the Build Math Minds membership site, which had previously been exclusive to members.
All these videos are presented as freely viewable, with no requirement to provide an email address or sign up for any service to access them. The intent was to make the information easy to share with other colleagues and with parents. The specific page to access these training videos is buildmathminds.com/resources, and the podcast episode's show notes are located at buildmathminds.com/54.
Daily Math Task Guides for Grades K-8
In addition to the general training videos, the source material highlights a specific, highly recommended resource: a living document of daily math tasks created by Fawn Nguyen. This document is described as an "ever-changing living document" that compiles tasks for every grade level from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Key characteristics of these daily tasks include: * Daily Schedule: New tasks are provided for Monday through Friday, with no tasks for weekends. * Scope: Tasks are compiled for all grade levels from Kindergarten to 8th Grade. * Format: Unlike traditional worksheets or problem sets, the tasks are presented as a few focused problems per day rather than 50 problems. This format is intended to be more manageable and conceptually engaging for students. * Versatility: The tasks are described as "wonderful tasks" that are suitable for use in a classroom setting and are also well-suited for distribution to parents for home learning.
A link to this document is provided in the show notes for the podcast episode, which is accessible at buildmathminds.com/54. The document is maintained by Fawn Nguyen, a figure the Build Math Minds founder has followed for years and respects for her work in mathematics education.
Context and Philosophy Behind the Resources
The release of these free resources is framed within a specific educational philosophy. The platform, Build Math Minds, states that its focus is not on providing a multitude of activities or lesson plans but on changing the way educators think about mathematics. The core belief is that by understanding how children learn mathematics, teachers and parents can better analyze and evaluate any resource to determine what is most appropriate for their students' current needs.
During the school closures, the platform acknowledged the immediate need for practical materials for parents, which was a departure from its usual focus. The resources were curated to help sort through the vast amount of information being shared publicly. The founder emphasizes that while she is not a fan of worksheets and packets, she understands the pressure educators were under to provide materials on short notice. The offered resources, particularly the daily tasks, are presented as an alternative to traditional problem sets.
The tone of the messaging is one of support and grace, acknowledging that everyone—educators and parents alike—was feeling overwhelmed and unsure of the best steps to take during a challenging time. The advice given is to take a step, try something, and be prepared to adjust, which is presented as a core practice of educators.
Accessing the Resources
To access the free training videos, individuals can visit buildmathminds.com/resources. For the specific daily task document by Fawn Nguyen, the path is to the podcast show notes at buildmathminds.com/54, from which a link to the document is provided. No payment, subscription, or email submission is required to view either the videos or the task document.
For individuals who download other materials from the Build Math Minds site, such as the K-5 Fluency Starter Kit mentioned on the main website, there is a process involving email confirmation. The source material notes that when requesting a download, an email is sent. Users are advised to check their spam or promotions folders and to click a confirmation link if they are new to the email list. If download issues persist, the provided contact for customer service is [email protected].
Conclusion
The Build Math Minds platform offers a set of free, no-registration-required resources for elementary mathematics education, comprising training videos and a curated daily task guide. These materials are specifically designed to support both classroom teachers and parents during periods of remote learning, with a pedagogical focus on understanding mathematical concepts rather than completing traditional worksheets. The resources are accessible via the buildmathminds.com/resources page and the buildmathminds.com/54 podcast show notes, providing immediate, shareable support for those seeking to build math minds.