Pre-school teacher's introduction of changes in their pedagogical work as a factor in their professional development

In today's society, the ability of lifelong learning and successful coping with a number of changes in different areas of life is very significant. Preschool teachers are especially exposed nowadays, because contemporary society is facing them with various challenges, which they must be able to cope with. Preschool teachers are constantly faced with changes that they must know how to properly introduce into their pedagogical work. If vocational training of preschool teachers was once an individual's choice, today this is an inevitable fact that cannot be avoided. An individual has to master a large set of competencies when facing changes. The preschool teacher's implementation of changes is closely linked to his/her professional development. Involving change in the pedagogical practice affects the professional development of preschool teachers and vice versa. A preschool teacher that is committed to his/her own professional development and sees it as a value, has a more positive attitude towards innovation and he/she will soon feel the need to change his/her own pedagogical practice and to introduce novelties. In the process of innovation, individuals change their usual practice, their own views and concepts, as well as the understanding of the wider context of innovation. Successful innovation has an important impact on individuals' professional development and it can also favourably change the atmosphere in an institution which can become more open to co-operation and long-lasting change. The purpose of this master's thesis is to determine the views and experiences of preschool teachers and of the management towards the teacher's innovating pedagogical practice. In the theoretical part of the master's thesis, we derived from the professional work and professional development of a preschool teacher, which are important for a successful change of a pedagogical practice. We devoted our attention to models of professional development and the introduction of changes of preschool teachers as a factor in this development. We also present research in the field of innovating pedagogical practice, with an emphasis on research of preschool teachers. In the empirical part, we were discovering the points of view and the experience of preschool teachers when it comes to innovating their own pedagogical practice. We were not only interested in the points of view of preschool teachers, but also in the points of view of principals of kindergartens on the innovations of preschool teachers. We were interested in how preschool teachers understand the role of the principal in the innovation process, as well as how the principals themselves understand their own role in the process of preschool teacher's introduction of change