8 Ways to Help Children Who Have Challenges Connecting General Knowledge From One Situation to Another

A very important skill that applies daily in every classroom, is that of applying past general knowledge from one situation to another. Like most habits this skill may require a great deal of effort initially, then over time it becomes more intuitive. It is a valuable skill for learning as this is the way the brain, memory and recall works. Once we can apply general knowledge from one situation to another we have truly embraced the concept, understand it and we are applying it.

Here are 8 ways we can help children with connecting general knowledge from one situation to another:

1. Help the child understand that all things can be grouped together by finding ways that they are the same or similar. Provide concrete examples that show ways that this can be achieved.
2. Create activities that require the child to identify how small numbers of objects are similar or different. Use concrete examples then progress to more abstract concepts.
3. Identify a category and ask the child to identify as many things as possible that fit within this. Challenge them with gradually increasing complexity such as, ten green objects through to ten objects that are both green and exist in the room or their close environment.
4. Help the child identify not only broad categories but also sub-categories that fit within them. For example, animals then types of animals such as mammals.
5. Create games that require the child to identify a specific connection within a number of multiple choice options. For example, ice is to Antarctica as sand is to the rainforest, the desert or the mountains.
6. Identify life-like connections between situations that come up in the classroom or other natural environments.  For example, manners at home during dinner are as important as at school during lunch at recess. Consequences for poor choices as children are similar to real life consequences as adults.
7. Help children identify logical and natural connections through responses to statements such as, “What if we had no rules in the classroom”, or “What if everyone broke the rules and ate food in the library.”
8. Build connections between learning that takes place in one setting to other situations or settings. For example, learning spelling words within different but natural contexts. Mathematical challenges posed in the classroom but practised in the school yard or other real-world environments.

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