---
title: The Three Stage Approach to Learning Math
description: Learning new math concepts is confusing for lots of students. STEMscopes Math follows the Concrete Representational Abstract (CRA) method to address this.
image: https://info.acceleratelearning.com/hubfs/CRA-Thumbnail-01.jpg
---

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# Concrete Representational Abstract (CRA): The 3-Stage Approach to Learning Math

It’s important to have a structured approach to teaching math. CRA is a three-step approach that engages various learning styles: kinesthetic, visual, and aural. It also eases students into new concepts, teaching them to crawl and walk before asking them to run. 

- - The **concrete** stage introduces new concepts with tactile objects called manipulatives.
    - The **representational** phase reinforces the same concepts in pictorial form. 
    - The **abstract** stage is all about solving problems using only numbers, symbols, and formulas. 

See how we at STEMscopes help students explore complex math concepts through a scaffolded approach using the CRA approach.

![CRA White Paper - Cover](https://info.acceleratelearning.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CRA%20White%20Paper%20-%20Cover.jpg?width=198&name=CRA%20White%20Paper%20-%20Cover.jpg)

 

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