Competitive behavior as a condition for realizing the personal potential of teachers

The article considers the personal potential of teachers realized through their participation in competitions. The analysis of sources, diagnostic tools, formats and means of additional professional education presents professional competitions as a condition for realizing one’s personal potential. Its components are as follows: personal meanings, activity, reflexive abilities and pedagogical experience, values, motives, striving for the embodiment of creative ideas and intentions, openness to innovations. The teacher’s participation in competitions encourages activities, increases the level of innovative solutions to professional problems, manifests creative individuality and recognizes professional achievements. At the same time, the influence of competitions on the professional creativity of a teacher has not been sufficiently studied. The article aims at studying the competitive behavior of a teacher from the perspective of realizing their personal potential. The research utilized the methods of analyzing scientific sources, regulatory documents; diagnostic techniques to study the personal potential of a teacher; forms of developing the competitive behavior of teachers to participate in professional skills competitions; synthesis; logical generalization. In the course of the study, the authors obtained results that are notable for their novelty. They have presented the concept of “competitive behavior” of a teacher as an activity characterized by a complex system of motivation aimed at overcoming competitions and developing personal potential. The authors have characterized the motivational, emotional-volitional and personal levels of mental regulation of the teacher’s competitive behavior. They have also determined methods for studying personal potential and developing the teacher’s competitive behavior