The MindPop concept came about after Koru 1 ākonga returned from distance learning due to COVID-19 in 2020. The class has been accessing learning through digital classrooms and on reflection thought that some of the most engaging tasks were maths challenges related to real life contexts (for example, counting teddy bears in windows on their street or creating fitness challenges for their whānau). With the possibility of returning to distance learning being uncertain, we wanted to create a platform for maths problem solving challenges that could be accessed online by members of our school community and beyond. 

Our challenges would be made “for kids, about kids, by kids”. Each student-created MindPop problem is set in school, presented by students and connects maths with daily activities around the place. The situations should be familiar to Kiwi tamariki. We really wanted to make maths enjoyable for everyone, even those who haven't enjoyed it much before.

Many of the tasks are open-ended and have a variety of answers. The questions are supposed to be a starting point for maths exploration. For this reason, we had not listed answers on our website.

In every challenge we have provided ways for the problem to be extended, giving extra challenge to those who need it. Teachers could use our extension tips to differentiate problems.

will also see buttons to download QR codes or easily click to add individual challenges to any Google Classroom.

In designing and making our website, all of our MindPop team used a collaborative approach and had different roles and responsibilities. These consisted of:  

​Mathematicians - Wrote the problems/challenges.

Web designers - Researched quality website features, planned and designed our website.

Artists - Developed the website icons, MindPop name and logo. 

Actors - Starred in the MindPop challenges.

Video Editors - Put together and produced our videos.

Coding Crew - Designed/coded the QR codes, Google Classroom buttons, “submit a challenge” features, and debugged our website. 

Writers - Wrote additional content for our website.

Musicians (our own Nightmare Disco band) - Created the MindPop theme song and music.