Concreteness Fading
Knowledge Refinement


Principle in Action
DreamBox Learning Math offers adaptive math program that integrates curriculum and continuous formative assessment. To help learners build a mathematical understanding of numbers, the learning program begins with highly concrete, manipulatable tools like the math rack, where students can physically see and interact with quantities through beads, providing a tangible foundation for number sense. As learners demonstrate mastery at this concrete level, the program gradually fades into more abstract representations of pure numbers.
DreamBox Learning Math


Practice counting to 13 using different bead combinations


Use beads to calculate and identify specific numbers like 8


Practice counting to 13 using different bead combinations
Discuss in your team
What are some concrete ways to represent your target concepts?
What are some abstract ways to represent your target concepts?
What are some ways of bridging the concrete and abstract representations?
How can you show the learners this bridging (visual instruction, text feedback, or other ways)?
Principle Definition
Start with concrete examples when introducing new concepts, then gradually replace them with more abstract representations. When explaining key concepts, use both abstract and concrete representations and highlight how they represent the same critical takeaways.
Concreteness Fading
Knowledge Refinement


Principle Definition
Start with concrete examples when introducing new concepts, then gradually replace them with more abstract representations. When explaining key concepts, use both abstract and concrete representations and highlight how they represent the same critical takeaways.
Principle in Action
DreamBox Learning Math
DreamBox Learning Math offers adaptive math program that integrates curriculum and continuous formative assessment. To help learners build a mathematical understanding of numbers, the learning program begins with highly concrete, manipulatable tools like the math rack, where students can physically see and interact with quantities through beads, providing a tangible foundation for number sense. As learners demonstrate mastery at this concrete level, the program gradually fades into more abstract representations of pure numbers.

Practice counting to 13 using different bead combinations

Use beads to calculate and identify specific numbers like 8
Discuss in your team
What are some concrete ways to represent your target concepts?
What are some abstract ways to represent your target concepts?
What are some ways of bridging the concrete and abstract representations?
How can you show the learners this bridging (visual instruction, text feedback, or other ways)?


