IMPLICATIONS OF PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE FOR TEACHING HIGH ABILITY STUDENTS

In Chile, there is insufficient research on the practical knowledge built by teachers, since predominant teaching development is based on a technical approach and, in addition, there is a lack of knowledge on how to train teachers to serve students with high abilities. Thus, students with high abilities do not receive sufficient pedagogical attention due to multiple factors, accentuating another form of school exclusion. Therefore, it is necessary to advance in the generation of theoretical and especially practical knowledge. From this perspective, the objective of the study is oriented towards analyzing the implications of practical knowledge built by teachers for the resignification of teaching high ability students and, in this way, extracting the learning that could be relevant and have transferability for cases with similar characteristics. The research was approached through the qualitative paradigm with an interpretative approach and the instrumental case study method was used. In accordance with the research objectives, the semi-structured interview and the focused interview were used as data production techniques. The participants of the study were 18 teachers selected according to the maximum variation sampling because the case studies were chosen in such a way that they were as varied as possible in order to capture and describe the main features that identify the studied reality. The teachers worked in municipal, private subsidized and private paid schools in nine municipalities in the province of Concepcion. Specifically, seven women and eleven men were interviewed, three of whom are beginning teachers and fifteen are experts. The textual data is subjected to a content analysis and stages of data reduction and transformation are developed through the elaboration of matrices and diagrams. The information analysis is supported by the N-vivo12 software. Quality criteria of credibility, auditability, transferability and confirmability are used, and ethical criteria are safeguarded through the signing of informed consents, guaranteeing anonymity, confidentiality and specificities of voluntary collaboration in the study. The findings show that working with high ability students modifies teaching preparation, pedagogical practice and teaching strategies. Regarding teaching preparation, teachers recognize that the practical learning acquired in their experience causes their lesson plans to diversify and become flexible. Regarding pedagogical practices, changes are observed in terms of attention to students with high abilities, collaboration with their parents and evaluation of learning. Likewise, changes related to didactic teaching strategies and teaching diversification are observed, highlighting a transition from strategies that used to be traditional and directive to others that emphasize the students' protagonism in learning. In conclusion, it is relevant that the knowledge that emerges from the teaching experience is valued and shared in formal institutional spaces to advance in a new pedagogical practice that is consistent with the educational needs of students with high abilities. Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to have a link with these students in order to know their characteristics and thus adjust their teaching. In addition, there is a need for initial and/or continuous training on the characteristics and timely attention to students with high abilities.