Navigating Concrete to Abstract in Math Education

Episode 217:

This week on Thinking Deeply about Primary Education, John Jackson and Emma Lindley-Thompson from Ambition Institute return to explore the next extract from their expert edit—this time, focusing on concreteness fading and its role in mathematics teaching.

We discuss:

• The relationship between procedural knowledge and conceptual understanding and how this influences mathematics instruction.
• The challenge of premature reliance on abstract symbols and how teachers can strike the right balance between concrete and abstract representations.
• The debate over concrete representations—do they make abstract ideas clearer, or do they hinder transfer to new contexts?
• Key implications for teacher professional development and how educators can implement concreteness fading effectively in the classroom.

Whether you’re a maths specialist, a primary educator, or a leader supporting professional development, this episode provides valuable research-backed insights to enhance mathematical understanding in your teaching.

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