This article conceptualises a real-like model of a mathematical model as an inverse model. The inverse model draws on the un-complexity of concrete real life operations in order to help students to add concrete meaning to mathematical algorithms. The inverse model is described in the context of a pedagogical perception, which grants students in basic maths courses a higher degree of flexibility in dealing with mathematics. Situating the students' prior knowledge in a meta-frame enables them to see part of the 'Big Picture' and therefore to appreciate better the kind of processes that make Mathematics what it is.