Exploring childrens' preconceptions

The starting point for a locality enquiry is the pupils’ perceptions. You need to know what they think, and where their information (and misinformation) comes from. Their perceptions may be very limited. Though children are travelling further afield for more holidays they are unlikely to get to the heart of a country, as they go from airport to hotel and swimming pool complex to airport.

This enquiry focuses on developing place or locality studies for pupils, as specified in the National Curriculum for England. Locality studies extend pupils’ global awareness and celebrate cultural diversity. They examine similarities and differences between localities and ways of life, by an in-depth study of a place very different to their home environment.

Though we are using Mali as an example, this model can be used to investigate any country On the Line.

Next: a model for geographical enquiry

Note: Curriculum links

• Geography – A study of a locality in a distant country.
• Music – Appreciation of music from other cultures.
• Literacy – Reading non-fiction texts for information; selecting and writing for a specific audience.