Background. Professional competitions for educators play a significant role in the development and improvement of the education system, helping to improve the professional skills of teachers and the quality of the educational process. In recent years, correspondence teaching competitions have been gaining popularity, which allow participants to present professional experience and learn about new technologies and working methods. An important aspect is that professional competitions help to increase the prestige of the educator’s profession by attracting young and talented specialists to this field.
Objective. Determining the features of the professional activity of a modern preschool teacher based on identifying the most characteristic problems of kindergarten teachers and specialists and studying the experience of practical solutions.
Sampling. 201 works were submitted to the competition, teachers with various work experience from most municipal districts of the Ivanovo region took part, which made it possible to create an almost complete picture of professional problems and solutions in the field of preschool education in the region. The majority were teachers with work experience from 6 to 10 years.
Methods. Analysis of competition documentation, grouping of competition works by topic, problem, proposed solutions.
Results. An analysis of the topics and materials of the contestants showed that most often teachers are faced with the problems of developing children and the upbringing of certain qualities in them (patriotism, love of nature, hard work, neatness, and others). Teachers also have difficulties with children’s communication problems associated with immature communication skills or speech disorders; solving individual didactic problems; organizing a developing subject-spatial environment; preparing and conducting classes with children; interacting with parents of preschoolers; psychological problems of children and working with special preschoolers. As a solution to these problems, teachers described the use of various educational technologies, methods, and techniques, including the project method, case method, quest technology, art therapeutic methods, non-traditional drawing techniques, and teaching aids.
Conclusions. The study showed the desire of teachers to solve problems in their work by means beyond their professional profile. There is also a tendency to replace the consideration of the cognitive interests of the child with formal tasks of implementing an educational or partial program.