EVALUATION OF HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL PLACE IMPLEMENTATIONS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES TEACHING
This study was carried out to evaluate the importance of sightseeing trips to historical and geographical places according to the student views. The study group of the research included totally 26 students taking Social Sciences Teaching course in Mersin University Faculty of Education Department of Primary Education Teaching in spring term of 2011-2012 academic year. With the study group, field trip was actualized for twice within the scope of Social Sciences Teaching. During the field trips, sightseeing trip was actualized to the historical and geographical places located in Tarsus and Silifke. These places included Nusrat Minelayer, Cleopatra Gate, Saint-Pier Church, Ashab-ı Kahf, Berdan Dam, Tarsus Waterfall, Gozlukule Huyuk, Rome Road, Sağlıklı-Rome Road, Great Mospue in Tarsus; and Cennet-Cehennem Shake Holes, Kanlı Divane Shake Hole and ruins, Adamkayalar rock statue and Adamkayalar Valley, Göksu Valley and Delta, Silifke Castle, Korykos (Kızkalesi)cand beachrocks on the coast in Silifke. Open-ended question form including 3 questions was created as the data collection tool. The data obtained from open-ended question form were analyzed performing the content analysis. In accordance with the given answers, coded were created, and created codes were correlated and views of students were evaluated by the researchers. Conclusion and Suggestions: In the research, it was determined that activities such as trip-observation and field trip created radical changes in viewpoints of students towards the history and geography, and in case of using such studies in teaching profession, the interest of students towards the lesson would increase. Moreover, it was also determined that the knowledge of students upon the effects of living region’s history and that region’s geography upon historical and social life was increased. Field studies, trips to historical places and museum trips as a requirement of the constructivist approach cannot be fulfilled as required due to the problems such as heavy procedures, heavy work load, and requiring much responsibility. However, when its importance has been considered in terms of increasing the students’ awareness and nature and history consciousness, it is one of the activities that should be emphasized.

Keywords
Social Sciences Teaching, Historical Places, Geographical Places, Sightseeing, Field Study.