Last month, on a school trip, we went to Sultanahmet, one of the historical regions of Istanbul. The trip was accompanied by 9th grade students and a few teachers. We met in front of the school early in the morning and boarded the buses as groups of students.
When we arrived in Sultanahmet, we immediately started visiting historical buildings. First, we visited the Hagia Sophia Museum and learned the historical and architectural details there with the help of a guide. Then we visited the Sultanahmet mosque and admired the magnificent decorations and details inside.
During the lunch break, we ate in small street restaurants in groups and chatted with each other. Afterwards, we visited Topkapi Palace and learned about the history of the Ottoman Empire. While visiting the museums inside the palace, we had the opportunity to see important works from the Ottoman closely.
This trip was not only about history and culture, but also highlighted the importance of traveling in groups and sharing experiences together. The experience of traveling and exploring together allowed me to form stronger bonds with my classmates and make new friendships.
Especially the explanations of the guides and the information added by our teachers enabled us to learn not only the information we learned from textbooks, but also historical and cultural details in real life. This made our learning experience richer and more impressive.
However, during the trip, we observed that some students had problems such as getting lost in the group or being distracted. This resulted in some students not being able to fully participate during the trip and benefit from the experience to the fullest.
To avoid such situations, more effective group management and student organization can be planned for future trips. For example, student groups can be divided into smaller subgroups and a leader can be assigned for each group. Additionally, students can be provided with motivation and guidance to focus their attention at the beginning and throughout the trip. In this way, it can be ensured that all students benefit from the experience equally and losses are minimized.
At the end of the trip, we left behind a day full of experiences shared and knowledge gained among the students. We can see more clearly the contribution of such events to the educational process and hope that similar events will be organized more frequently. This trip was an unforgettable day spent together by our class and became a source of motivation for future events.