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