- Responsibilities of the senior teacher
- Activities of a senior teacher in a modern preschool educational institution
- Pros of the profession
- Challenges faced by senior educators
- Who can get this position
- 15 tips for a senior teacher
A kindergarten in our time is a public or private educational institution that takes responsibility for the supervision, care, health and education of our children under the age of 7 years. The preschool educational institution employs nannies, educators, methodologists and management staff.
The position of senior teacher is the next career step for kindergarten teachers. In the article we will analyze the responsibilities of this profession, its pros and cons, and also talk about what ways there are to obtain this specialty.
Responsibilities of the senior teacher
The senior teacher must provide high-quality supervision of the activities of the less experienced teaching staff of the kindergarten. Its functions are prescribed in the job description. We will talk about the main ones.
- Planning and implementation of the educational process in accordance with the program established by the state.
Typically, the senior teacher creates a plan for the entire school year.
- Monitoring the activities of teaching staff.
Carried out in current and final mode. This does not mean that the senior teacher constantly monitors the work of other educators; he has the right to organize a convenient observation process and reporting form and visit the group with a control visit, for example, once a month.
- Monitoring results
(setting goals, selecting assessment methods). The dynamics of children's development is checked by ordinary teachers, after which they give the final results for reporting to the senior teacher.
- Interaction with parents
– consultations, assistance in implementing the educational process, resolving emerging issues.
- Conducting teacher councils and public events
for teachers and children.
- Providing methodological assistance in employee training.
This includes issuing benefits, assigning a more experienced employee to a novice teacher, and assessing the relevance of the competencies of the preschool teaching staff.
Job descriptions of the teacher
Job description
kindergarten teacher 58 (preschool educational institution) CI 1-17
- General provisions of the job description of a preschool teacher 1.1. This job description for a teacher of a preschool educational institution (kindergarten 58) was developed in accordance with the Federal State Educational Standard, based on the order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated August 26, 2010 No. 761n “On approval of the Unified Qualification Directory of positions of managers, specialists and employees, section “Qualification characteristics of the positions of education workers." 1.2. A preschool teacher is hired and dismissed by the head of kindergarten 58. 1.3. The kindergarten teacher is directly subordinate to the head and senior teacher of the preschool educational institution. 1.4. The working week of a preschool teacher is 36 hours. 1.5. In his professional activities, a preschool teacher must be guided by: - the Constitution of the Russian Federation; — Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”; — legislative acts of the Russian Federation; — Model regulations on preschool educational organizations; — rules and regulations of labor protection and fire safety; — SanPiN 2.4.1.3049-13 “Sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the design, content and organization of the operating mode of preschool educational organizations”; — Federal State Educational Standard for Preschool Education; — Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated March 24, 2010 No. 209 “On the procedure for certification of teaching staff of state and municipal educational institutions”; — Charter and local acts of the preschool educational institution; — Internal labor regulations approved in the kindergarten; — Collective agreement; - orders and instructions of the head of the kindergarten; — an employment contract and an Agreement concluded with the parents (legal representatives) of the child, other agreements in the institution; 1.6. The teacher must also be guided by the job description of the preschool educational institution teacher according to the Federal State Educational Standard, the labor protection instructions for the preschool teacher, and other instructions on labor protection when performing work and operating audio and video equipment. 1.7. A kindergarten teacher must know this job description for a kindergarten teacher, as well as: - priority areas for the development of the educational system of the Russian Federation; — laws and other regulatory legal acts regulating educational activities; — UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, instructions for protecting the life and health of children; — pedagogy, child, developmental and social psychology; — psychology of relationships, individual and age characteristics of children; — age-related physiology and hygiene; — methods, forms and technology for monitoring the activities of pupils; — pedagogical ethics; — theory and methodology of educational work, organization of pupils’ free time; — the latest achievements in the field of preschool education methods; — modern pedagogical technologies for productive, differentiated, developmental education, implementation of personality-oriented education; — ways of persuasion, argumentation of one’s position, establishing contacts with students of different ages, their parents (legal representatives) and work colleagues; — technologies for diagnosing the causes of conflict situations, their prevention and resolution; — fundamentals of ecology, economics, sociology; — labor legislation of the Russian Federation; — basics of working with text and graphic editors, spreadsheets, email and web browsers, multimedia equipment; — Internal labor regulations approved by the preschool educational institution; — fire safety rules; — sanitary and epidemiological requirements for the organization of the educational process in kindergarten; — occupational health and safety instructions. 1.8. The kindergarten teacher must strictly adhere to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Requirements for the qualifications of a kindergarten teacher 2.1. A preschool teacher must have a higher vocational education or secondary vocational education in the field of training “Education and Pedagogy” without presenting work experience requirements, or a higher vocational education or secondary vocational education and additional vocational education in the field of study “Education and Pedagogy” without presenting requirements for work experience. work experience. 2.2. A kindergarten teacher must have basic skills in organizing: - activities that are aimed at strengthening the health of children and their physical development; - various types of children's activities and communication between pupils; — educational activities aimed at implementing the basic general education program of preschool education; — interaction with parents (legal representatives) of pupils and employees of a preschool educational institution; — in methodological support of the educational process in preschool educational institutions; - knowledge of information and communication technologies and the ability to apply them in the educational process. 2.3. A preschool teacher has the right to apply to the certification commission for certification or to establish compliance of the level of qualifications with the requirements for the first qualification category, having work experience of at least 2 years. The first qualification category can be established for kindergarten teachers who: - master modern educational technologies and methods and effectively apply them in practical professional activities; — make a personal contribution to improving the quality of education and upbringing based on improving teaching and upbringing methods; — have stable results in students’ mastery of educational programs and indicators of the dynamics of their achievements above average in the constituent entity of the Russian Federation. A teacher of a preschool institution has the right to apply to the certification commission for certification or to establish compliance of their level of qualifications with the requirements for the highest qualification category no earlier than 2 years after the establishment of the first qualification category. The highest qualification category can be established for preschool teachers who: - have the established first qualification category; — master modern educational technologies and methods and effectively apply them in practical professional activities; — have stable results in the development of educational programs by students and pupils and indicators of the dynamics of their achievements above average in the constituent entity of the Russian Federation, including taking into account the results of pupils’ participation in all-Russian and international competitions; — make a personal contribution to improving the quality of education based on improving teaching and upbringing methods, innovative activities, in the development of new educational technologies and actively disseminate their own experience in the field of improving the quality of education and upbringing.
- Job responsibilities of a preschool teacher A kindergarten teacher has the following job responsibilities: 3.1. Implementation of: - work on the upbringing, education and development of pupils, ensuring the implementation of the general education program in accordance with the federal state educational standard and the annual plan of the preschool educational institution; - proper supervision of the pupils entrusted to him in strict accordance with the requirements of the instructions for protecting the life and health of children in the premises of the kindergarten and on children's walking areas; — observing the behavior of children during the period of their adaptation to kindergarten and creating favorable conditions for easy and quick adaptation; — studying the individual abilities, inclinations and interests of students; — creating favorable conditions for individual development and moral formation of the personality of pupils, promoting the growth of their cognitive motivation and the development of abilities in various forms of organizing children's activities; — interaction with parents (legal representatives) of pupils on the implementation of the basic general education program, strategy and tactics of the educational process, cooperation with preschool educational institutions and society. 3.2. Planning and organization of: - the life activities of pupils, various play activities, independent and joint activities of children and adults, aimed at mastering the basic general education program during special moments in accordance with the specifics of preschool education and the internal regulations of the group’s life activities; - directly educational activities corresponding to the general education program and regulations of educational services in close contact with specialists of preschool educational institutions on the basis of integration interaction in the implementation of educational areas; — equipping the developing subject-spatial environment of the group; — exhibitions of students’ works; — children’s leisure and other activities with pupils in accordance with the annual plan of the preschool educational institution; — participation of students in competitions at various levels (to obtain the appropriate qualification category). 3.3. Ensuring: - implementation of instructions for protecting the life and health of children in a preschool educational institution; — implementation of the general education program of preschool education; — individual comfort and emotional well-being of each child; — use of educational technologies in their work; — the level of achievement by pupils of the planned results of mastering educational fields and the dynamics of the formation of integrative qualities, which corresponds to the federal state educational standard for the quality of preschool education or a higher level. 3.4. Possession of modern, innovative technologies and techniques and their effective application in practical professional activities. 3.5. Bringing: - to each child the daily nutritional norm during feeding (breakfast, second breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack); — information to each parent about the progress of his child in mastering the program through various forms; — information to the medical worker about absent children, finding out the reason for their absence; — information about problems in the development of pupils to specialists of a preschool educational institution. 3.6. Participation: - in carrying out complex activities that promote the health and psychophysical development of pupils, promoting a healthy lifestyle; — in enriching the developing subject-spatial environment of the group, corresponding to the age characteristics of children; — in organizing and conducting methodological and advisory assistance to parents (legal representatives) of pupils; — in work on holding parent meetings and other forms of interaction with the family; — in teacher councils and other forms of methodological work in preschool educational institutions, methodological associations, seminars and other events; — in disseminating our own experience in the field of improving the quality of education; — in the monitoring procedure: • at the beginning of the school year — to determine the area of educational needs of each student; • at the end of the year - in identifying the level of achievement of each student, the final indicators of mastering the program, the dynamics of the formation of integrative qualities. 3.7. Exhibiting restraint and pedagogical tact in communicating with students, their parents and work colleagues. 3.8. The kindergarten teacher must come to work 10 minutes before the start of the working day, personally hand over the shift to the second teacher, and hand over the children strictly according to the list. 3.9. Maintaining proper order in your workplace, in group rooms and in the exercise area. Carrying out sanitary and hygienic treatment of toys that meets the requirements of Sanitary Regulations and Regulations. Careful and careful use of kindergarten property, methodological literature and manuals. 3.10. Coordination of: - the work of a junior teacher (assistant teacher) within the framework of a single educational process in the group, carrying out the sanitary and hygienic regime and the main routine aspects of the life of pupils. 3.11. Maintaining the following documentation in the prescribed manner: - annual plan; — long-term plan; — calendar plan; — journal of pupils’ health; — pupils’ attendance sheets; — notebooks of information about the pupils’ parents; — minutes of parent meetings; - other documentation of the preschool teacher according to the nomenclature of cases in accordance with the order of the head of the kindergarten. 3.12. Passing an annual medical examination strictly according to the schedule established at the preschool educational institution during non-working hours. 3.13. Mastering additional professional educational programs for professional retraining or advanced training (at least 72 hours) at least every 3 years. 3.14. Providing assistance to: - the comprehensive development of pupils through various forms and types of children's activities; — formation of a general personal culture, socialization, development of cognitive interests of students; — development of communication between students; solving problems in communicating with peers and adults. 3.15. Compliance with: - the rights and freedoms of pupils, which are defined by the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” and the Convention on the Rights of the Child; — rules and regulations of labor protection and fire safety, sanitary and hygienic standards and requirements; — labor discipline and labor regulations established in the preschool educational institution; — this job description for a preschool teacher; 3.16. Ensuring: - protecting the life and health of students during the educational process; — strict adherence to the daily routine and schedule of direct educational activities established in the preschool educational institution; — fulfilling the requirements of the head of a preschool educational institution, medical worker, senior teacher, which are related to teaching activities and protecting the life and health of students.
- Rights of a teacher of a preschool educational institution 4.1. A kindergarten teacher has the rights provided for by the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation”, “Model Regulations on a Preschool Educational Organization”, the Charter, the Collective Agreement, internal labor regulations and other local acts of the State Budget Educational Institution. 4.2. A preschool teacher, within the limits of his competence, has the right to: - take part in the work of creative groups; — establish business contacts with third-party organizations within their competence; — make suggestions for improving the educational process; — make suggestions in the process of developing an educational program and annual plan for a preschool educational institution; - freely choose and use teaching and educational methods, teaching aids and materials that correspond to the general education program approved by the preschool educational institution; — present your experience of teaching work at pedagogical councils, methodological associations, parent meetings, final reporting events and in specialized publications; - get acquainted with the draft decisions of the head of the kindergarten that relate to his activities; - read this job description for a kindergarten teacher and receive it in your hands; — demand from the administration of a preschool educational institution the creation of conditions necessary for the performance of their professional duties; - participate in the work of self-government bodies. 4.3. Improve your qualifications in a timely manner (at least once every 5 years).
- Responsibility of the kindergarten teacher 5.1. The preschool teacher bears personal responsibility: - for improper performance or failure to fulfill his job duties as provided for in this job description of the preschool teacher - within the limits established by the current labor legislation of the Russian Federation; - for offenses committed in the course of carrying out their professional activities - within the limits established by the current administrative, criminal and civil legislation of the Russian Federation; - for causing material damage - within the limits established by the current labor and civil legislation of the Russian Federation. 5.2. In case of violation of the Charter of the preschool educational institution, the terms of the Collective Agreement, the Internal Labor Regulations, this job description, or orders of the head of the kindergarten, the teacher is subject to disciplinary sanctions in accordance with Article 192 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. 5.3. For the use of such methods of education that are associated with physical and (or) mental violence against the student’s personality, a kindergarten teacher may be dismissed under Art. 336, clause 2 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. Monitoring the implementation of this job description of the kindergarten teacher is assigned to the senior teacher of the preschool educational institution.
- Regulations of relationships and communications for the position of teacher A kindergarten teacher must: 6.1. Work in a normal working day according to a schedule drawn up based on a 36-hour work week and approved by the head of the preschool educational institution, participate in mandatory planned general activities of the preschool educational institution for which production standards are not established. 6.2. Replace a temporarily absent kindergarten teacher on the basis of hourly pay and in accordance with the tariff. 6.3. Receive materials of a regulatory, organizational and methodological nature from the administration of the preschool educational institution, and familiarize yourself with the relevant documents against signature. 6.4. Carry out a systematic exchange of information on issues within its competence with the administration and teaching staff of the preschool educational institution. 6.5. Promptly inform the head of the kindergarten and the relevant services about all emergencies related to the life and health of children.
When performing the duties of a music director in a preschool educational institution, use the job description of the music director of a preschool educational institution according to the Federal State Educational Standard.
Activities of a senior teacher in a modern preschool educational institution
The rapid growth in the development of education in our country certainly affects the activities of modern kindergartens and their employees. The position of senior educator requires that he be aware of all current innovations in the children's education system. Therefore, the ability of the senior educator’s personality to analyze will be so important in order to be able not only to assess the quality of educational literature, but also to be able to select exactly the information that is suitable for the work of a particular preschool institution.
Knowledge of modern technologies will help you quickly maintain all the necessary reporting documentation, systematize information, monitor children’s achievements and prepare presentations. The senior educator must not only be able to perform all these actions himself, but also teach them to less experienced preschool employees.
So, from all of the above it follows that today a senior teacher/methodologist is, first of all, an expert analyst, an innovator who knows how to multitask, organize effective and experimental activities in his kindergarten, knows about new information technologies, able to listen and hear people.
Reflections on a senior preschool teacher
Dear friends, we are pleased to introduce you to Svetlana Vladimirovna Nevteeva, senior teacher of the first qualification category of the Kurmanaevsky kindergarten No. 1 “Teremok” general developmental educational institution. Kurmanaevka, Orenburg region. Today Svetlana Vladimirovna is pleased to share with us her thoughts about the profession of a senior preschool teacher. The article is intended for teachers, educators, and methodologists of preschool educational institutions.
A short commentary on the article from Svetlana Vladimirovna:
“The article contains reflections on the profession of a senior teacher, the relevance and directions of methodological work in a modern kindergarten. The article touches on various aspects of the interaction between a senior teacher and a team, including ways to solve problems in the teaching team. Experience of a senior kindergarten teacher offered"
Educational reading...
Reflections on a senior preschool teacher
A good leader knows the way, shows the way and follows it." Robert Fews
I have been working as a senior teacher for 16 years. It must be said that the position of senior educator for ignorant people is familiar to few people. Many people know what the teacher does, but the senior teacher does not. Although the history of the formation of this profession begins in the 60s of the 20th century. Initially, this was the position of “teacher” to serve toddlers and guide their education in nurseries. Then the position of “educator-methodologist” was introduced, and later the position of “senior educator”. But regardless of the title of the position, higher demands were always placed on the senior teacher. There was a period when people with a secondary specialized education were hired for the position of head of a preschool institution, and only people with a higher pedagogical education were always hired for the position of senior teacher or teacher-methodologist. This is explained by the responsibility of the senior teacher for the most important section of the kindergarten’s work - the pedagogical process. The quality of work of the entire team will depend on how professionally competent the senior teacher is in pedagogy, psychology, and methods of working with preschool children. Today, the main job of a senior educator is working with teaching staff. That is, it influences the quality and results of the activities of the entire kindergarten indirectly, through the teacher. Therefore, the senior teacher must be able to work with children and teach teachers how to do this. This is a very difficult task, and therefore the senior educator is required, first of all, to be able to work with people.
What is the ability to “work with people” for me as a senior educator? Our kindergarten teachers include educators and specialists with various educational and qualification levels. These are people who have developed their own creative pedagogical style. And not everyone will do what they are advised to do, because they have their own views on this or that methodology, pedagogical technique, etc. Therefore, the most difficult thing for me is to find an approach to each of them. The ability to work with people is the main indicator in the activities of a senior educator. After all, it is very important to create a team of like-minded people who have a common pedagogical credo, position, traditions, or, as it is now fashionable to say, to create your own team. Only in this case will the senior teacher be able to achieve the goals that he sets. An important condition for the success of this team is the coherence and unity of the requirements of the head of the preschool institution and the senior teacher. The ability to establish contact with teachers and the leader, to develop your own style of communication with the team, taking into account the characteristics of the psychological climate in the preschool educational institution, is a condition for the success of methodological work in the preschool educational institution. And the main methods in the arsenal of a senior educator should be persuasion and evidence, the ability to listen and hear an interlocutor, a colleague. Even if the teacher does something wrong, I must convince and prove why this method of working with children is ineffective, and suggest how to do it better. Yes, working with people is difficult, especially with women, and here the ability to control oneself in critical situations, anticipate and prevent possible conflicts in a team, understand and evaluate the capabilities of each employee is required. Recently, a teacher’s ability to evaluate and talk about the results of his work has become an important professional quality. And many teachers do not know how to summarize their experience and present themselves in a positive light. We have to deal with teachers who have low self-esteem. Many teachers do not want to learn, conduct self-analysis of their activities, improve, etc.
At the same time, teachers like it better when they are not consulted as students, but when they are consulted. Therefore, non-traditional methods of team training are needed, these are interactive forms of methodological work such as creative groups, briefings, discussions, round tables, business games; in my opinion, they give the greatest results. From practice, I noticed that the assignments given before the seminar, thematic teacher council push to increase the level of knowledge and skills even among passive teachers. This was the case, for example, before the teachers’ council “Intellectual games as a means of developing a child’s creative abilities.” The teachers were given the task before the teachers' council: “to study literature on the topic of pedagogical creativity.” The result exceeded expectations - teachers were actively involved in the discussion about pedagogical creativity without any coercion. Or before the teachers' meeting, teachers are asked to answer a series of questions, and then use the answers as a pass to a business game.
Of particular note is the work with teachers to conduct self-analysis of their work. For this purpose, self-analysis cards for classes and other events have been developed, and master classes are held for young specialists on a specific problem. After each open lesson, teachers conduct self-analysis and analysis of the event. One cannot help but mention the professional competitions that are held at preschool educational institutions, which are also an incentive for professional growth:
- Review of readiness for the new school year;
- Competition “Best Teacher of the Year” (based on the results of the year)
- Reviews and competitions of newspapers, photo exhibitions, portfolios, creative works of teachers (during the year)
I would like to emphasize the importance of self-education for all preschool teachers. The knowledge independently acquired by educators is a good foundation for organizing active forms with them. In other words, they will have something to talk about. Self-education is one of the activities of the senior educator. It has become a tradition at the end of the school year for teachers to conduct self-analysis of the effectiveness of their work and highlight problems that need to be addressed in the future. In accordance with them, teachers plan self-education topics for the next year. The form of plans can be varied, the main thing is that the directions of work with children and parents are reflected. The work to enrich and improve the developmental environment, to generalize experience at methodological events in preschool educational institutions, at the district municipality should be reflected.
The team of teachers is always heterogeneous: some strive for creativity and do not want to work according to established rules, they always come up with something, suggest, suggest; others do their work conscientiously, but do not show much initiative; others, who do not want to work creatively, do not have the ability to do so. Taking this into account, I try to design methodological work in preschool educational institutions, including activities to create, implement and disseminate the best teaching experience. Exchange of experience between teachers is an important form of methodological support. During workshops, teacher councils, thematic control, open screenings, mutual visits, discussions of articles and the experience of other kindergartens, the positive results of the activities of a particular teacher are revealed. This not only contributes to mutual enrichment, but also helps relieve tension and anxiety in the team.
An option for presenting the experience of teachers can be a teacher’s portfolio, which contains all the information about the teacher’s activities, his achievements, and the progress of work on the topic of self-education. Here is the approximate content of a preschool teacher’s portfolio.
1. Last name, first name, patronymic of the teacher
2. Information certificate: education, qualifications, wage category (photocopies of documents).
3. Advanced training courses (relevant documents).
4. Methodological topic.
5. Author's didactic and methodological materials (lesson notes, curriculum, observation cards for children).
6. Publications.
7. Awards, certificates, reviews from parents, work colleagues, supervisor.
8. Effectiveness of teaching activities (diagnostics reflecting the dynamics of children’s development).
However, approaches to building a portfolio can be varied, depending on the individual characteristics of the teacher. It is important for the teacher to analyze his work, his own successes, summarize and systematize his pedagogical achievements, objectively assess his capabilities and see ways to overcome difficulties and achieve better results.
Innovative activities are an integral part of the activities of a modern preschool institution. How does this affect the work of a senior teacher? Currently, the senior educator must be widely informed about all innovations in the system of preschool and school education. I would like to emphasize the importance of the analytical function of the senior educator, who acts as an analyst and expert of everything that is printed and published. At the same time, it is important not only to evaluate literature, but also to be able to select it based on the type and goals of your preschool institution, and the level of professional skills of teachers. Our preschool educational institution has a creative team and almost every teacher is engaged in new ideas and developments. The innovation bank currently has several methodological developments. These are, first of all, methodological developments for organizing fairy tale therapy classes (teacher-psychologist Kudryashova T.Yu.), methodological developments for introducing children to fiction (educator Kandaurova T.A.), these are modified programs for artistic and aesthetic development, local history, environmental education. As a senior teacher, I always try to support the creative endeavors of teachers, help set goals, objectives, stages of work, edit notes, etc.
The experience of our teachers has been repeatedly reviewed at regional educational organizations. Teachers presented their work in the magazine “Preschool Educator”, and for a number of years they have been participating in professional competitions at the regional level (for the Grand Governor of the Orenburg Region). In 2012, our institution received the Grand Governor of the Orenburg Region and was included in the All-Russian register of the best educational institutions.
Modern life forces us to introduce new technologies into work, so the preschool educational institution maintains appropriate documentation on innovation. The regulatory basis for this activity is the Regulations on innovative activities in the educational institution of the Kurmanaevsky district, the Regulations on innovative activities in the preschool educational institution, the Regulations on the innovation platform, the Regulations on the creative group, the Regulations on the coordination plan for the implementation of the program. For each innovation, an innovation characteristic card or passport is issued.
Modern processing of all kinds of documentation, all document flow requires prompt execution. Today it is important not only to collect information, systematize it, compare, summarize, highlight problems, but also to correctly format the results. The participation of preschool institutions or individual teachers in various competitions involves the design of multimedia presentations, business cards, etc. The senior educator must be able to and teach all this to educators. Therefore, it was put into practice to draw up reports on the self-education of teachers and on the results of the school year in the form of presentations. In the 2009-10 academic year, only 6 teachers showed them at the final teacher council; the next year there were 12 of them. This is also an innovation in the methodological work of preschool educational institutions.
Thus, a modern senior teacher is a specialist, an expert analyst, ready to work in an innovative mode and able to organize innovative and experimental work in his preschool institution, proficient in new information technologies, a communicative person who knows how to listen and hear others.
Used Books:
- Belaya K.Yu. Methodological work in preschool educational institutions. - Moscow, “Sphere”, 2005.
- Belaya K.Yu. What is a modern senior educator like? // “Handbook for senior educators”, 2010
- Denyakina L.M. Team management on a democratic basis.// “Management of preschool educational institutions” No. 8, p.40
- Osintseva S.V. Motivation of teachers for self-development.//"Preschool Educational Institution Management" No. 12, p. 89.
Pros of the profession
In addition to the most important advantage - immersion in the world of childhood - the profession of a senior teacher has many other advantages.
- It has status and prestige; the manager has something to respect himself for.
- Assumes a stable salary.
- Gives you the opportunity to control your child in a preschool educational institution.
- Most kindergartens provide free food to staff.
- All benefits become available to employees of government agencies.
- The profession of a senior educator is in demand in the labor market.
- A specialist in the field of pedagogy has the opportunity to retire early (after 25 years of experience).
- A senior teacher is an interesting position that does not involve routine and monotony.
- Constant self-improvement and self-education is possible due to the regular introduction of innovations.
- Supervising less experienced employees contributes to one’s own discipline and desire for knowledge.
Challenges faced by senior educators
- Promotion to the position of senior teacher (methodologist) is recognition by the authorities of the preschool educational institution of your teaching experience, leadership and personnel management abilities. Therefore, the main difficulty is a high degree of responsibility, because it is the senior teacher who will be in demand for correct documentation, competent activities of the teaching staff and the results of the learning and development of children in a kindergarten.
- The senior teacher, along with the leader, is responsible for the life and health of preschoolers, so there is a possible risk of emotional burnout.
- Working closely with superiors also involves serious stress, because it is not so easy to constantly feel under control.
- A specialist may encounter difficulties in managing a team - all teachers have an individual temperament and character.
- The senior teacher must be stress-resistant and well-versed in psychology, because in the process of work he will have to solve many problematic issues and communicate with different people, who are not always pleasant and disciplined.
- But the specialist himself will have to carefully monitor his organization; without this quality, it is basically impossible to lead people.
The role of the senior teacher in working with preschool teachers. article on the topic
The role of the senior educator in working with preschool teachers
The main job of a senior educator is working with teaching staff. The senior teacher influences the quality and performance of the entire kindergarten through the teachers. The senior teacher must be able to work with children and teach teachers how to do this. He must be able to demonstrate this or that technique, explain the methodology in practice, and, if necessary, actively participate in the pedagogical process, and for this, at least 2/3 of the time he must be in groups, observe, evaluate, and correct the work of teachers. Together with other specialists, he diagnoses the knowledge and skills of children, and therefore works, communicates with preschoolers and provides assistance to teachers. This is a very difficult task, and therefore the senior educator is required, first of all, to be able to work with people. What is the ability to “work with people” for a senior educator? Among modern teachers there are many specialists with higher and secondary specialized education. These are people who have developed their own creative pedagogical style. And not everyone will do what they are advised to do, because they have their own views on this or that methodology, pedagogical technique, etc. The ability to work with people is the main indicator in the activities of a senior educator. It is very important to create a team of like-minded people who have a common pedagogical credo, position, traditions, or, as it is now fashionable to say, to create your own team. Only in this case will the senior teacher be able to achieve the goals that he sets. The head of the preschool institution and the senior teacher must work harmoniously and set uniform requirements for members of the teaching staff. This is another important point. The ability to establish contact with teachers and the manager, develop your own style of communication with the team, taking into account the characteristics of the psychological climate in the preschool educational institution, will help the senior educator in his work. The main method in the work of a senior educator should be persuasion and evidence. Even if the teacher does something wrong, the methodologist must convince and prove why this method of working with children is ineffective, and suggest how to do it better. At the same time, it is important to be able to listen to what the teacher says. The ability to listen and hear the interlocutor is always valued by subordinates.
Working with people is a mandatory ability to control oneself in critical situations, anticipate and prevent possible conflicts in a team, understand and evaluate the capabilities of each employee. Also in our time, an important quality is the ability to evaluate and talk about the results of one’s work. The senior teacher should teach self-analysis to kindergarten teachers. Please name the main forms of work with teachers that a senior educator should use? First of all, the senior educator must take into account the interests and wishes of the team. Teachers like it better when they are not consulted as students, but when they are consulted. Therefore, such interactive forms of methodological work as creative groups, briefings, discussions, round tables and master classes give the greatest results. For example, a senior teacher says that there is a problem that he alone cannot solve, and invites everyone to think together and look for ways to solve it. But when setting any task, it is necessary to bring it to its logical conclusion. If the senior educator has carried out an active form, he is obliged to summarize and issue a product in the form of recommendations, an algorithm of actions for educators. It is important that this product will be perceived as jointly created, collective. And if you have created recommendations, an algorithm of actions, write who participated in this work. This is not only pleasant, but also imposes responsibility on the teacher for their implementation. The senior educator must also pursue a second goal: not only to activate teachers, but also to know why he is doing this. For example, to get results at lower costs, to distract teachers from work as little as possible.
Who can get this position
Secondary pedagogical education will enable the applicant to apply for positions: assistant teacher, junior teacher, teacher. Most often, these specialists work in the garden for several years, participate in events, try to write educational programs, and after five years of such activity they can receive a promotion to senior teacher. In some commercial preschool educational institutions this period is slightly reduced.
In accordance with the law, people who have a teacher’s diploma and have completed a professional retraining program have the right to work as a senior educator (methodologist).
What should a modern senior preschool teacher be like? Article on the topic
What should modern
senior kindergarten teacher
Currently, particularly high demands are placed on senior preschool teachers responsible for organizing and monitoring the pedagogical process and coordinating the activities of all preschool specialists. And this applies not only to the level of their professional competence, but also to their personal qualities.
Have there always been high demands on the position of senior educator?
It must be said that the position of senior educator was formed gradually, starting from the 60s of the 20th century. Initially, it was the position of “teacher” to serve toddlers and guide their education in nurseries. Then the position of “educator-methodologist” was introduced, and later the position of “senior educator”. But regardless of the title of the position, higher demands were always placed on the senior teacher. There was a period when people with a secondary specialized education were hired for the position of head of a preschool institution, and only people with a higher pedagogical education were always hired for the position of senior teacher or teacher-methodologist. This is explained by the functional responsibility of this specialist for the most important section of the kindergarten’s work - the pedagogical process. The quality of work of the entire team will depend on how professionally competent the senior teacher is in pedagogy, psychology, and methods of working with preschool children.
What part of a senior educator’s activity is working with children today?
First of all, we must remember that the senior teacher is not a substitute teacher. He cannot and should not be a permanent substitute teacher due to the absence of the main teacher in the group for various reasons. Although earlier, and even now, this is practiced in some preschool institutions. Today, the main job of a senior educator is working with teaching staff. That is, it influences the quality and results of the activities of the entire kindergarten indirectly, through the teacher. The senior teacher must be able to work with children and teach teachers how to do this. He must be able to demonstrate this or that technique, explain the methodology in practice, and, if necessary, actively participate in the pedagogical process, and for this, at least 2/3 of the time he must be in groups, observe, evaluate, and correct the work of teachers. For example, if an excursion outside the kindergarten is organized, he must go with the children and the teacher and take on part of the organizational work. Together with other specialists, he diagnoses the knowledge and skills of children, and therefore works, communicates with preschoolers and provides assistance to teachers. This is a very difficult task, and therefore the senior educator is required, first of all, to be able to work with people.
What is the ability to “work with people” for a senior educator?
Among modern teachers there are many specialists with higher and secondary specialized education. These are people who have developed their own creative pedagogical style. And not everyone will do what they are advised to do, because they have their own views on this or that methodology, pedagogical technique, etc. The ability to work with people is the main indicator in the activities of a senior educator. It is very important to create a team of like-minded people who have a common pedagogical credo, position, traditions, or, as it is now fashionable to say, to create your own team. Only in this case will the senior teacher be able to achieve the goals that he sets.
The head of the preschool institution and the senior teacher must work harmoniously and set uniform requirements for members of the teaching staff. This is another important point. The ability to establish contact with teachers and the manager, develop your own style of communication with the team, taking into account the characteristics of the psychological climate in the preschool educational institution, will help the senior educator in his work.
The main methods in his arsenal should be persuasion and evidence. Even if the teacher does something wrong, the methodologist must convince and prove why this method of working with children is ineffective, and suggest how to do it better. At the same time, it is important to be able to listen to what the teacher says. The ability to listen and hear the interlocutor is always valued by subordinates.
Working with people is a mandatory ability to control oneself in critical situations, anticipate and prevent possible conflicts in a team, understand and evaluate the capabilities of each employee.
Also in our time, an important quality is the ability to evaluate and talk about the results of one’s work. The senior educator must train teachers to self-analyze teaching activities.
Please name the main forms of work with teachers that a senior educator should use?
First of all, the senior educator must take into account the interests and wishes of the team. Teachers like it better when they are not consulted as students, but when they are consulted. Therefore, such interactive forms of methodological work as creative groups, briefings, discussions, round tables and brainstorming give the greatest results. For example, a senior teacher says that there is a problem that he alone cannot solve, and invites everyone to think together and look for ways to solve it. But when setting any task, it is necessary to bring it to its logical conclusion. If the senior educator has carried out an active form, he is obliged to summarize and issue a product in the form of recommendations, an algorithm of actions for educators. It is important that this product will be perceived as jointly created, collective. And if you have created recommendations, an algorithm of actions, write who participated in this work. This is not only pleasant, but also imposes responsibility on the teacher for their implementation. The senior educator must also pursue a second goal: not only to activate teachers, but also to know why he is doing this. For example, to get results at lower costs, to distract teachers from work as little as possible.
I would like to emphasize that within the framework of methodological work, self-education of all preschool teachers should be clearly organized. The knowledge independently acquired by educators is a good foundation for organizing active forms with them. In other words, they will have something to talk about. Self-education is one of the activities of the senior educator. Before demanding from teachers, the senior teacher must determine what topic he will work on this year himself. When a self-education plan for kindergarten teachers is drawn up for the year, the first on the list should be the head, senior teacher, and only then all teachers. This is a system of continuous self-education.
In many preschool institutions, the methodological office is still perceived as the personal office of the senior teacher. How to organize its work so that it becomes a kind of methodological center for teachers? The methodological office of a kindergarten is not the personal office of a senior teacher. This is scientific and methodological equipment for the educational process in preschool educational institutions. And here the main thing is not how many dolls and cubes are in the office, but what kind of experience has been collected, what kind of long-term planning, what visual aids are there for working with children, the selection of diagnostic techniques, interesting scenarios, notes, etc. Replenishing and equipping a methodological office is labor-intensive and a long process.
From my work experience, I can recommend the following technique: knowing strong educators who are passionate about one or another methodology, a senior educator can make them assistants in equipping the teaching room, offering to put together, for example, a section on familiarization with the outside world or a section on speech development. At the same time, it is necessary to give teachers the opportunity to determine for themselves what materials they need. Then they will feel like masters and will not be afraid to enter the teaching room. Teachers will know that they themselves made this or that manual. When replenishing your classroom with manuals, immediately create card files (thematic catalogs, bibliographic lists) and teach teachers how to use them. The more differentiated the catalogs are, the easier it is for teachers to work with them. By organizing activities in this way, the senior teacher relieves himself of the obligation to issue benefits, which is very important, because this takes a lot of time. This is the scientific organization of the methodological room. In addition, reference literature must be provided in the office. If possible, these should be not only encyclopedias, but also textbooks where you can find the necessary information.
In new-building kindergartens, the problem of organizing the work of the methodological classroom and the use of manuals by teachers is also complicated by the fact that some senior teachers begin with the beautiful design of shelves and systematization of materials in folders. This is an important block of work, but there is no need to try to complete everything at once in one year. You need to focus your energy on solving annual tasks. For example, take 2-3 tasks for this year and systematize and supplement them in these areas, gradually equipping the methodological office. This is the most important point in organizing the educational process.
What difficulties does the senior teacher of a new building kindergarten have to face?
Another problem in the activities of a senior teacher, when a kindergarten is operating in the mode of formation, a new building, is the ability to distribute the functionality, duties and responsibilities of each, as well as writing documents such as the development program and educational program of the preschool educational institution. At the moment, a program for the development of a kindergarten for new buildings is being developed with a creative group of specialists from the Southern District of Moscow. It is schematic, and we think that it can be used as a basis for work in the first and second years for all new buildings.
It should be noted that during the formation of a kindergarten, a lot of moral and physical energy goes into creating a team of like-minded people, identifying assistants in work, and establishing human relationships.
This is in contrast to a kindergarten operating in a functioning mode, where everything is streamlined, everyone is at their own workplace, and the senior teacher must devote more time to organizing innovative activities, initiating teachers to creative search, so that there is no creative stagnation in the team, so that the work of teachers didn’t turn into a routine.
Innovative activities are an integral part of the activities of a modern preschool institution. How does this affect the work of a senior teacher?
Currently, the senior educator must be widely informed about all innovations in the system of preschool and school education. I would like to emphasize the importance of the analytical function of the senior educator, who acts as an analyst and expert of everything that is printed and published. There is now a large amount of literature that often does not meet the requirements of classical pedagogy and psychology. And it is mainly the senior teacher who purchases methodological literature. While still in the store, he should leaf through and skim through the manual and understand whether it is suitable for the job. At the same time, it is important not only to evaluate literature, but also to be able to select it based on the type and goals of your preschool institution, and the level of professional skills of teachers.
A senior kindergarten teacher today must be able to work in an innovative mode, know how to organize innovative and experimental work in an institution at any level and conduct it. An important task is the ability to motivate the teaching staff to engage in innovative activities.
The team of teachers is always heterogeneous: some strive for creativity and do not want to work according to established rules, they always come up with something, suggest, suggest; others do their work conscientiously, but do not show much initiative, and still others, who do not want to work creatively, do not have the ability to do so. Taking this into account, the senior teacher should design methodological work in a preschool educational institution, including activities to create, implement and disseminate the best teaching experience.
It is important to know your teaching staff, the strengths and weaknesses of each. Based on them, we create, shape, and broadcast the experience of the best educators. The senior educator must know the range of teaching experience in the district, microdistrict, city, and country. Knowing the problem in your kindergarten, you don’t need to try to solve it on your own. You should read literature, periodicals, for example the magazine “Handbook of Senior Preschool Teachers,” which provides an overview of advanced technologies for working with children, teaching staff, etc. Introduce teachers to the experience of your colleagues and try to apply them in your work. When introducing someone else’s experience, it is important to remember that no experience gives the same results, because different preschool institutions have different conditions, staff, and different children. And that means, based on this innovation, something new will appear. It's a never-ending process of improvement.
The content of innovations can be proposed by science. Therefore, the senior educator must monitor what is new in pedagogy, psychology, related sciences, and methods. Those. do not use the knowledge that was acquired 5–10 years ago at college, institute, university. Life moves forward, which means you need to go for new knowledge yourself.
It is very good that many modern journals provide reviews of scientific articles. Senior educators preparing to defend their PhD thesis are taking the first step towards an in-depth review and analysis of what is available in science. Whether to look at information on the Internet, go to conferences, read magazines, everyone decides for themselves. Today all sources are important. Innovative and experimental work also means additional workload and documentation.
Is it important for a senior teacher today to be able to use information technology?
Considering that the workload of a senior educator has increased, although it would seem that the goals remain the same, mastery of information technology is truly becoming a professional necessity. What causes this? Modern processing of all kinds of documentation, all document flow requires prompt execution. Today it is important not only to collect information, systematize it, compare, summarize, highlight problems, but also to correctly format the results. The participation of preschool institutions or individual teachers in various competitions involves the design of multimedia presentations, business cards, etc. - the senior teacher must also learn this. Modern parents of kindergarten students often use and create all kinds of websites related to issues of raising a child, and leave there their reviews about the work of kindergartens. I recommend that senior educators take a look at these sites to understand how parents evaluate the work of the preschool educational institution and what they need. I am sure that this will allow you to take a more critical look at the system of interaction with parents in your kindergarten. After all, the formation of competent parenting is also the task of the preschool educational institution in general and the senior educator in particular.
To sum up all of the above, what is he like, a modern senior educator? A modern senior teacher is a specialist, an expert analyst, ready to work in an innovative mode and able to organize innovative and experimental work in his preschool institution, who is proficient in new information technologies. A communicative person who knows how to listen to others. And most importantly, he loves his profession and children. I wish all senior educators to be professionals and remember that professionalism comes with experience and depends on personal abilities, interest in the matter, and the desire for constant knowledge.