I just read an article about meta-cognition in young children. Meta-cognition means to think about thinking, or have an awareness of one’s thinking. When we come across new materials, we will file away that information, but we will only remember it better if we make connections with existing knowledge. Highlight the similarities to what young children already know, and then state the differences. The next time they come across something similar, they can apply their knowledge. Even if it is something that is a new concept, if they can see the link to their pre-existing knowledge, they will be able to understand better.
Recently, there was a huge uproar over the riots in Little India, that was sparked off after a bus ran over a drunk foreign worker and killed him instantly. Fuelled by alcohol, the people who were congregating there started pelting the bus with stones, hurling concrete slabs at the police cars, smashing the windows, then attacking the paramedics and the police officers. Images of overturned burning police cars were extremely shocking, and explosions were heard.
