(defocusing).
Children who don’t seem to have a vault of images may say things like “I don’t remember that one.” They need explicit instruction in imaging the concrete and applying that imagery to the computation.
How does imaging as a conscious process work? The On Cloud Nine® math program begins with numbers in isolation—numeral imagery. A student is asked to view the written numeral, and then it is taken away. The student must demonstrate the “number” underlying the numeral by showing how many cubes represent that number. The student sees, says, and writes the number in the air. The goal is for the student, when she sees the numeral, to immediately create an image of the formation of that number and the value behind it.
The process continues with experiencing the number line, first as a concrete manipulative,