Problem solving: competence for the enhancement of talents. A research with future primary school and kindergarten support teachers

Abstract

Education to achieve individual talent must become a priority in the educational process in order to contribute to the construction of a sustainable society. Training teachers to promote talent in students means guaranteeing each person the educational success and the achievement of their maximum potential. If problem solving becomes a tool for the enhancement of talent in the classroom, training in this competence becomes essential. In the educational field, talent and excellence are based on a unique attitude or an accentuated interest that a person possesses. The topic of the ability to solve educational problems by those who are going to carry out the profession of teacher implies the acquisition of strategies to respond adequately to the complexity of the problems that connote educational situations. This study aims to illustrate the results of a research process, implemented with 524 students attending the Specialization Course for the support activities of the University of Palermo in the A.A. 2018-2019. Through the research path it was intended to strengthen in the students the competence in solving the problem as a tool to promote the enhancement of talents in school and the processes of didactic customization. We intended to promote in future support teachers the ability to identify and to address problematic school situations in an appropriate manner. Research is an example of how courses can develop the set of skills that flow into the ability to identify and solve complex educational situations. The results showed the significance of the experimental intervention, which was detected through a significant increase in skills in the areas under investigation.