What is teacher self-education
A constant, focused and organized process of improving and practical application of the theoretical aspects of modern methods of working with children is called self-education. Of course, a general interest in pedagogical innovations is an important element of self-education, but much more significant and relevant are the teacher’s searches for answers to questions that arise from time to time regarding working with specific children. It is this factor, according to the Federal State Educational Standard (FSES), that turns out to be fundamental when choosing a topic for self-education.
This is interesting. Developing a problem for self-education is an obligatory element of the pedagogical activity of an educator. And not only educators, but also specialized specialists working with children: speech therapist, choreographer, physical education instructor, music teacher, as well as senior educator and methodologist. In addition, the results and process of self-study are an integral part of the documentation necessary for the participation of a teacher in competitions of pedagogical excellence.
Searching for something new and interesting in a methodology is an essential element of a teacher’s professional growth.
Goals and objectives of self-education work
The mission of professional self-improvement of a teacher is universal, regardless of the age of the children with whom he works. Only specific aspects of the target components will differ:
- mastering the experience of colleagues and modern pedagogical technologies (in the context of the preparatory group, special attention should be paid, for example, to project methods, the form of work on which prepares future schoolchildren for the types of activities practiced at this level of education),
- systematization of the considered theoretical and practical experience in order to optimize it for the conditions of work with specific children (for example, when considering the experience of combining techniques for interacting with hyperactive children, a teacher who has only one such child in the group does not use the entire methodological system, but takes 1–2 element, for example, gives the child the position of leader in outdoor games),
- providing conditions for the harmonious mental, physical, emotional and mental development of each child.
Systematic work on solving such self-education problems as:
- monitoring of literature with innovative approaches to methodology and periodic return to past developments,
- moderate but systematic introduction of elements of various pedagogical technological innovations into personal practice (you should not introduce all the techniques you like into working with a group at once, even if they fit into the theme; innovations should be a “dessert” and not a “main course”, otherwise children will the state of affairs will quickly get boring),
- generalization and dissemination of one’s own pedagogical experience among colleagues, based on a creative understanding of the practice of psychologists, teachers and methodologists (in other words, there is no need to rewrite even successful lesson notes from publication to publication, but it is necessary to share one’s own pedagogical developments),
- a clear example of constant personal improvement (new techniques in work attract not only children, but also their parents, and given the “contagiousness” of such innovations, mothers and fathers also begin to be interested in different forms of interaction with children).
Self-education makes it possible to find the most effective ways to interact with children
Principles of organizing self-study work
Self-study is effective only if the work is based on the following principles:
- continuity of coverage of the chosen topic (depending on the topic, the work can cover one academic year, or maybe 2-4, that is, it is developed throughout the entire period of work with children - from the second junior group to preparatory),
- continuity of topics (the next topic should somehow be in contact with the previous one, while meeting the goals and objectives of the educational process in the preschool educational institution),
- accessibility to the practical implementation of the theory (when, for example, a teacher considers a topic related to computer technology in the classroom, you should not immediately introduce elements of children’s independent activities on the interactive board, especially if the children are in the computer science classroom for the first time),
- the relationship between professional and universal culture (this requirement concerns mainly the evaluative characteristics of religious and family values - this is a deeply intimate area of human relationships).
Forms of self-education activities
Activities related to professional and personal growth are carried out in two forms:
- individual, that is, the teacher attends classes taught by colleagues, takes part in pedagogical and methodological councils and develops a particular topic independently,
- group, when several teachers summarize the experience of their colleagues and, on this basis, create, for example, an original educational program.
Collective work involves sharing experience in studying the topic and drawing up narrowly focused educational programs on this basis
Self-study folder components
The effectiveness of self-education largely depends on a methodologically competent approach to the design of each stage of research on the issue. As practice shows, it is convenient to organize self-education materials in a folder. It includes:
- the first sheet with the name of the development, the name of the teacher, the name of the preschool educational institution, information about the length of service and teaching experience, categories,
- justification for the timeliness of the topic under consideration (why the topic is relevant in principle, and how it can help in working with a specific group),
- list of development goals and objectives,
- a list of forms of interaction with children, their families and colleagues as part of the consideration of the issue,
- indication of sources with developments,
- description of types of practical classes with students (direct educational activities, leisure activities, routine moments),
- presentation of the results of practical activities (in the form of children’s drawings, author’s methodological developments, that is, lesson notes, matinee scripts, etc.),
- written self-analysis of the progress of studying the topic.
This is interesting. Today, materials in the self-education folder are usually provided in electronic form.
The self-education folder can be a printout of the electronic work registration form
The formation and development of a child’s personality can only be done by those who pay due attention to self-education. Self-education is a mandatory element of the professional practice of a kindergarten teacher. It is based on increasing the general intellectual level, studying aspects of psychological and pedagogical work with children, interaction with parents and colleagues. This work helps to find effective ways to implement the goals and objectives of each element of the educational process.
What is included in an individual self-education plan?
The teacher’s own plan for self-education (after choosing a topic based on the relevance of the issue in the context of working with specific children) includes the implementation of three stages of work.
An individual plan specifies each stage of work on the topic of self-education, including the stage of introducing theory into practice
Stage of theoretical understanding of the issue
This level of topic development involves active study of the literature and analysis of the experience of colleagues. And also at this stage the teacher:
- formulates a specific aspect of the topic that will be considered (for example, within the framework of the problem “Development of creative abilities in preschool children”, a music worker develops the topic through the prism of the development of musical abilities, and a choreographer - through the formation of a sense of rhythm and smoothness of movements),
- determines the directions for the practical implementation of the theory (in which classes the material will be tested, what result the teacher plans to achieve, etc.),
- selects the format for reporting on the work done (videos, presentations, photo reports, etc.).
Practical stage
This aspect of topic development covers the entire academic year (or two depending on the nature of the issue) and involves:
- systematization of the studied materials (in the form of compiling a bibliography, card index of important quotations and references),
- regular preparation and conduct of classes and leisure activities with the introduction of theoretical principles of the topic being studied,
- working with families of pupils through organizing and analyzing educational conversations, creating questionnaires, questionnaires,
- correction of the chosen direction of work depending on the intermediate results of the practical implementation of the theory (search for optimal ways to interact with all participants in the educational process, indirectly or directly involved in the development of the problem),
- creating creative reports on each stage of mastering the issue of self-education.
The main component of the practical stage is direct interaction with children
Self-realization
This stage can be called final, since it involves an analysis of the results of the theoretical and practical stages of work and can be:
- intermediate (when the results are analyzed after mastering a certain block of theory),
- final, organized at the end of the topic research.
Self-realization can be presented in the format:
- presentations of the experience gained at teacher councils, seminars and conferences,
- library of articles on the issue,
- printed works of the teacher in periodicals according to the profile,
- self-analysis, which is carried out in a form approved by each preschool educational institution and necessarily includes a description of each level of work.
This is interesting. At the stage of self-realization, the teacher preliminarily outlines the direction of the next topic on self-education.
