The 1st History Teachers Workshop, organized by the Department of History Education within the Department of Turkish and Social Sciences Education at our faculty, and with the participation of the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education and Istanbul Teacher Academies, was completed on June 25-26, 2024, with 4 panels and 15 workshop programs.

The workshop program on June 25, 2024, began with the opening speech by the Dean of our Faculty, Prof. Dr. Seyfi Kenan. In his speech, he emphasized that history is the greatest teacher of life, and that all fields somehow pass through history in their search for truth, thus history and ideology can never coexist. He shared various anecdotes about teaching history through experience, living, and feeling. Prof. Kenan mentioned that such events are exciting and are valuable activities where different contents and perspectives are evaluated and deeply discussed.

After the speech, Deputy Minister of National Education Dr. Ömer Faruk Yelkenci shared his excitement about the new curriculum preparation process and the resulting products. In the panel, Prof. Dr. Selahattin Kaymakcı, a faculty member of Kastamonu University’s Faculty of Education, who was involved in the preparation commission of the new history curriculum, shared the process with the participants and discussed the changes in the program. Associate Prof. Dr. Akif Pamuk, Chair of the Department of History Education, stated that the applicability of history teaching programs is directly related to the competencies of history teachers and emphasized that the purpose of organizing the 1st History Teachers Workshop was to improve the quality of history teachers.

The first panel of the June 26, 2024 workshop program, titled “Social and Emotional Learning Skills and History Lessons,” was led by Associate Prof. Dr. Mine Göl Güven, a faculty member of Boğaziçi University’s Faculty of Education. Dr. Güven started the day with an interactive and original session, discussing the relationship between history lessons and social and emotional learning. Later, Associate Prof. Dr. Ahmet Katılmış from Marmara University’s Faculty of Education discussed the values in the new history teaching curriculum and the changes that occurred in the program.

On both days of the workshop, various themed workshops were held with the participation of history teachers working in both public and private institutions. Research Assistant Cahide Kayış, along with undergraduate, graduate, and pedagogical formation students from the Department of History Education, presented materials designed in alignment with the new 9th grade history curriculum in workshops titled “Constructing the Past in History,” “Ancient Civilizations,” and “Medieval Civilizations.” These sessions focused on activity-based practices with history teachers.

Specialist Yavuz Yaşar conducted workshops on “Evidence-Based Learning: Prehistoric Ages,” “Social Structure in Ancient Societies,” and “The World in the Middle Ages,” where he shared examples of evidence-based activities with participants. Specialist Köksal Muç led two practical workshops titled “Museums and History Lessons” and “Thematic Learning,” emphasizing out-of-school learning opportunities.

Specialist İsmail Arslan showcased examples of how history lesson content can be enriched through the use of virtual museums and other technological tools. Facilitator Specialist Leyla Es Baki, who led the participant-centered learning workshop — characterized as active, student-centered, and dialogue-based — shared lesson designs where students take an active role in learning. She also conducted an “Authentic Assessment Workshop” that raised awareness about assessment and evaluation practices in history lessons.

In the “Intercultural History Lessons Workshop,” Specialist Koray Unur used photographs to offer history teachers new perspectives on multiculturalism in history education. Specialist Mehtap Koldaş shared history lesson content developed based on needs analysis drawn from both teachers and students. In his interdisciplinary learning workshop, Specialist Serdar Erdem worked with teachers on using literary works — particularly the novel "Taban Tepenler" — as a component of history lessons.

Finally, Specialist İsmail Hakkı Ergüven presented resources on the integration of technology in history education.

At the end of the day, after all the workshops had concluded, a collective needs analysis session was held with the participating history teachers. In response to the teachers' requests, new communication channels were established to ensure sustainable engagement and collaboration. The workshop concluded with a closing speech.