Using the concrete-representational-abstract approach to support students with intellectual disability to solve change-making problems.
Teach making change with real coins first, then pictures, then numbers—middle-schoolers with ID master it fast and keep it.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Trimmer et al. (2017) tested a three-step teaching plan for making change. First, kids touched real coins. Next, they used pictures of coins. Last, they worked with numbers only.
Four middle-school students with intellectual disability joined. The team used a multiple-baseline design across kids to see if the plan worked.
What they found
All four students learned to make change quickly. The gains were large and showed up right after CRA started. The kids kept the skill later without extra help.
How this fits with other research
Milata et al. (2020) extends this work. They taught teens with autism to use a chip-debit card. Both studies show money skills stick when you break the task into clear steps.
Leung et al. (2014) seems to disagree at first. They found virtual coins worked better than real coins for kids with autism. The gap is age and skill: Emily’s kids needed to feel real weight before moving to numbers, while C’s elementary students already understood what coins look like.
Leung (1989) set the stage. That review said people with ID can solve problems if they get many examples. Emily’s CRA sequence is one way to deliver those examples in math class.
Why it matters
You can copy the CRA plan tomorrow. Start with actual coins, switch to pictures, then fade to numbers. The short ladder keeps kids from jumping too fast and making errors. Middle-schoolers with ID can leave your room knowing how to buy lunch with the right change.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS/METHODS: The Concrete-Representational-Abstract (CRA) instructional approach supports students with disabilities in mathematics. Yet, no research explores the use of the CRA approach to teach functional-based mathematics for this population and limited research explores the CRA approach for students who have a disability different from a learning disability, such as an intellectual disability. This study investigated the effects of using the CRA approach to teach middle school students in a self-contained mathematics class focused on functional-based mathematics to solve making change problems. Researchers used a multiple probe across participants design to determine if a functional relation existed between the CRA strategy and students' ability to solve making change problems. PROCEDURES/OUTCOMES: The study of consisted of five-to-eight baseline sessions, 9-11 intervention sessions, and two maintenance sessions for each student. Data were collected on percentage of making change problems students solved correctly. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The CRA instructional strategy was effective in teaching all four participants to correctly solve the problems; a functional relation between the CRA approach and solving making change with coins problems across all participants was found. IMPLICATIONS: The CRA instructional approach can be used to support students with mild intellectual disability or severe learning disabilities in learning functional-based mathematics, such as purchasing skills (i.e., making change).
Research in developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.11.006