Who is eligible to participate in the Educator of the Year competition?
Each preschool institution nominates, at its request, one or more participants to the regional stage of the competition, which takes place in full-time and correspondence forms. The candidate must have a qualifying category, be a citizen of Russia and have a desire to take part in the competition. There are no restrictions on age, length of service, gender or other indicators.
Competitions in the preschool institution itself to select candidates for the regional competition may or may not be held. If the kindergarten management believes that the candidate is worthy to represent the kindergarten at the regional stage without any conditions, then it nominates the participant without selection.
During the academic year, each region of the country must hold a regional competition and submit its winners to the All-Russian stage.
Regional competitions are held in three rounds: the 1st correspondence round, where the candidate is studied based on the submitted materials, the 2nd and 3rd rounds are full-time, where educators demonstrate their skills in front of the jury, spectators and colleagues.
What materials need to be submitted for the first round of the competition?
For this extramural stage you need to prepare the following documents:
- A properly completed application, the form of which can be downloaded from the official website of the competition. Personal details, place and length of work, qualification category, etc. are indicated here.
- Separately, you need to send a photo, an application for the processing of personal data (standard document) and a presentation from the organization that is nominating you for the competition. I'm not sure that a reference from management is needed, but it won't hurt.
In addition, a participant’s presentation is required, which consists of three competition tasks:
- Providing a link to a personal website is the teacher’s blog, which he personally maintains. There should be photos, videos, printed materials that fully reflect the experience, professionalism and achievements of the teacher. You can publish a teacher’s self-development plan, and in general, everything related to pedagogy.
The online portfolio is assessed based on the content, conceptuality and ergonomics of the site. The relevance of materials, usefulness and educational value, even the culture of presentation of materials are taken into account. In addition, the resource must be convenient, aesthetically pleasing, and accessible. In general, I think that my site would be rated quite highly, what do you think? Or am I too self-confident?
- The teacher’s discovery or innovation is presented in the form of a lesson summary for children on any topic chosen by the teacher. It is presented in printed form, in a certain format, text no more than 7 pages, photos, videos, infographics are required. These presentations should be as unique and non-trivial as possible.
The material is assessed for relevance, originality, applicability “to the general public” and for compliance with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard.
- Essay “I am an educator” - there are no specific standards here. Everyone writes as God puts it on their soul, as they understand the essence of their profession and calling. But it must necessarily reflect the motives for choosing a profession, the principles of pedagogical activity and an understanding of the mission of the educator. Yes, the test should not exceed 5 thousand characters without spaces.
You can write about yourself, your dreams, hopes, hobbies. Personal information always attracts people.
All materials are submitted electronically to the website of the regional organizing committee.
Format of the 3rd stage of the competition for the best educators
The work plan for the third stage of the regional competition is simple - all you need to do is prepare a public lecture and present it to the general public.
Usually the topic is given in advance and the finalists have the opportunity to prepare. The topic concerns, of course, the educational process. For example, creating optimal conditions for the comprehensive development of a child in a preschool educational institution. 10 minutes are given to speak.
Compliance with the given topic, reflection in the speech of modern trends in the preschool education system, persuasiveness of speech, brightness and literacy, expressiveness and ability to interact with the public are assessed. After all, the lecture format involves asking questions to the lecturer, to which he must answer clearly and, preferably, appropriately.
Since we, educators, are artists at heart, the artistry of the performance is also assessed.
Let me philosophize a little more...
I would like to add that participation in such major events not only satisfies the teacher’s professional needs, but also gives hope for growth in the profession. The winners, and simply participants of the competition, are invited to various conferences, trainings, they are invited to exchange experiences in other regions, etc. If you're lucky, they'll invite you to other countries!
This, in general, is a real tool for the professional growth of a teacher and an opportunity to show oneself.
Many of my colleagues, and me too, are stopped by the banal fear of big events; it’s like an exam, very scary. But once you overcome this cowardice, you will understand that there are no barriers that you cannot overcome. I convince myself so much!
I read the diaries of last year’s competition participants, and everyone was delighted with the organization and atmosphere. Not only the winners were happy, but also everyone who was lucky enough to take part in such an enchanting show.
The 2021 competition was held in St. Petersburg and judging by the photos, it was simply gorgeous! The participants not only worked hard at the competition, but also had fun: they were accommodated in a first-class hotel, deliciously fed, invited to excursions around the city, psychologically prepared for the competition, and given training and educational lectures. No negativity, only cohesion and mutual assistance.
The participants supported each other, even those who did not make it to the finals were happy to have attended such a show. And what a memory will remain until the end of life, because not everyone is so lucky to be among the best educators in the country!
So, if anyone has any doubts about participating, brush them aside! Yes, first you need to win the regional competition...
I have already been inspired to do this feat, I hope you will support me, friends. If you found the article useful, please share it on social networks, the icons of which you will find at the end of the text. I also don’t get tired of inviting new subscribers, I promise it will be interesting!
Sincerely, Tatyana Sukhikh! Till tomorrow!
By the way, I recommend reading:
Who is the winner?
So, all stages are completed, and the winner is determined by the maximum number of points. The best teacher in the region is nominated for the All-Russian competition, which in itself is very prestigious for any teacher.
Since the regional stages are spread over the entire academic year, the All-Russian is usually held in the summer. Although, I’m lying, last year was in November, if I’m not mistaken. All participants are awarded diplomas, and 1st, 2nd, 3rd places are awarded with gifts. In addition, winners are determined in the following categories: “Debut of the Year”, “Best Essay”, “Best Portfolio” and others.
If the organizers manage to attract sponsors, the prizes could be substantial. Sponsors also have a habit of choosing their own favorites and rewarding them separately.
What can I say, if you can still pass the regional stages, then the All-Russian competition is a serious test for your nerves. You need to draw up a long-term plan in advance to prepare for this large-scale show and stock up on Corvalol.
I haven’t participated in such big events yet, but everything is ahead! Do you think I have a chance of winning? This is me unobtrusively asking for compliments...
What can I say, only preparing for the regional stage will give me a lot as a professional:
- You will have to turn over mountains of methodological and educational literature, work hard to improve your professional and intellectual level;
- Seriously study progressive methods of self-analysis, since this will allow me to look at myself as a teacher from the outside and see the pros and cons, as well as evaluate the prospects;
- To prepare emotionally for enormous psychological stress, intense passions, disappointment, for this you simply need to master self-regulation techniques;
- Learn to overcome the fear of an unfamiliar audience, speak coherently and beautifully in public.
These skills will not interfere with any teacher, even if he does not intend to participate in competitions.
Why are competitions held for teachers?
If we talk about the global goals of such significant events as “Educator of the Year,” we can highlight the following:
- Promoting the wide dissemination of innovative experience in the educational preschool sphere, in other words, each participant submits to the competition a unique methodology or other development that deserves to be introduced into the general education system;
- Improving the professional skills of preschool teachers, motivation to search for new non-standard approaches to the upbringing and training of preschoolers;
- Encouraging educators to engage in creative exploration, developing the desire for constant self-education;
- Increasing the prestige of the teaching profession among the younger generation, revealing the wide potential of the pedagogical field of activity;
- Creating a favorable atmosphere in preschool institutions for educators to express themselves as professionals in their field;
- Presentation of the most advanced experience and its dissemination in preschool institutions in Russia;
- Identification of talented teachers who could pass on their knowledge to the younger generation;
- Popularization of the activities of preschool institutions through the media.
I don’t know whether the goals set by the competition are being fulfilled at the state level, but each participant, regardless of the place taken, the competition gives enormous experience and the feeling of being a member of a large family of representatives of an extremely important profession - a teacher.
Sometimes at work you have to overcome a lot in order to adequately carry out the educational process. Negativity comes from different sides: parents of students express dissatisfaction with you, management can be tyrannical, colleagues weave intrigues, there is trouble at home... Even the children seem to have conspired and are behaving extremely badly.
You give up, you think that no one needs your efforts and desires to implement or change something. You are a teacher and must keep yourself in shape, but sometimes it’s difficult to smile at children.
So competitions really raise your self-esteem as a professional, you understand that you work no worse than others, and in some ways you are superior to your colleagues, you gain the strength and desire to work for the kids, to educate them on the best practices. Competitions just help keep yourself in shape.
What will be needed for the 2nd stage of the regional competition “Teacher of the Year”?
The head-to-head stage of the competition consists of 2 tasks:
- An educational event with preschoolers takes place in real form, that is, as a real activity with children. It is necessary that the form and topic of the lesson correspond to the selected educational technologies discussed in the essay. For example, you can take your own topic for self-education, be sure to write about it in an essay, and then build a lesson on this topic.
The event is assessed according to several criteria: the competence of the teacher, the ability to interest children, the mobility of the teacher (the ability to organize effective interaction with all participants in the process). The degree of implementation of the integrated approach is also taken into account.
Self-analysis of the lesson, its depth and reflection of one’s activities are especially appreciated. There is no need to prolong the event; 20 minutes are given for everything. By the way, the children are not yours, but strangers, “strangers,” so this task is not easy.
- Master class or demonstration and defense of your work: methodological technique, method, technology. This is a kind of report on the effectiveness and scientificity, so to speak, of your know-how. But there are no requirements that the presented methods or methods of raising, teaching, developing or improving the health of children are strictly unique. Everything has already been invented before us.
The main thing is that the presented techniques or technologies correspond to modern trends in preschool pedagogy. You know, at this stage, not only the essence of the methodology is taken into account, but the ability to present and interest the jury, captivate and charm the audience. Even if you just show how you work on appliqué with waste materials, but you manage to present it enchantingly, the jury will definitely like you.
Based on the results of two stages, 5 finalists are determined who move on to the next stage.
