Children’s perceptions of distant places are inevitably partial

	Gwen from Oxford, UK " I think farmers in Ghana work very hard. The children go to school at different times to me because it is too hot to work in the middle of the day."
	Dramane from Bamako, Mali: "I imagine that children in England do karate, ride their bicycles, learn to play football, but I don't think they have space just to wander from one place to another."
	Guillame (from France, lives in Burkina Faso)  "We don't learn about West Africa at school, despite our colonial history. We concentrate more on Asia. I was expecting huts with thatched roofs."

These three insights into childrens' knowledge of other countries shows how perceptions of these cultures have been formed. They are inevitably partial. When working with distant places we need to develop pupils' perceptions. The notes and linked enquiry, Magical Mali, offers a means to do this.

Next: Exploring childrens' perceptions