Creating Effective Learning Contexts Through Blended Learning and Field Trips in Geography Instruction

Field studies, direct observation of processes, gathering data through field trips in geographical studies as an important branch of geo-science deserves high importance. Continuous interaction and purposeful and active cooperation of students in such kind of inquiry learning can create a context in which they are motivated to learn more and experience subject matters objectively, which result in meaningful learning as well as practically geographical skills. Fortunately, the newly-revised curriculum in Farhangian University has been developed in a way in which a geography teacher should have not only the content knowledge (CK) but also a variety of knowledge and skills (PCK) such as instructional designing, application of teaching strategies, evaluation practices, e-learning, and etc.The present study aims to make teacher students familiar with both the application of blended learning, field trips, and create effective learning opportunities. This study has used a qualitative method in which interview, observation, studies of textual and pictorial documents have been used as instruments for collecting data. Internal validity of this study has been verified through a panel of experts. The findings indicate that student teachers not only get familiar with new learning approaches but also achieve higher grades in final tests at the end of the term.