Growing Footprint

Critical incidents have great influence on teachers' professional growth. They record the change and growth of teachers' professional development, and mirror the factors that affecting teachers' development. Adopted qualitative method, the paper studies the critical incidents of seven kindergarten expert teachers.First, the general character of critical incidents of expert teachers is summed u.pfrom the angle of occurring period, type and influence. Expert teachers' criticalincidents can be divided into three types: social background-----"cultural revolution",kindergarten environment—job assignment and professional life—the critical incidents in teaching-learning-studying life. Then, the relationship between expert teachers' professional growth and each type of critical incidents is analyzed.The significant others of expert teachers are their family members, the head of the kindergarten, exemplary kindergarten teachers, college teachers and the supervisors of teaching and research in administration sector. They play the role of role model, the guide and supporters, and have produce important effects on the professional growth of expert teachers.Based on the analysis of critical incidents and significant others of expert teachers, the paper points out the reason why expert teachers achieve professional success, their excellent personalities such as loving studying, pursuing excellence, open to new things and different views, loving children is the fundamental reasons of their development, critical incidents and significant others provide chances of updating knowledge, reflecting ideas, sublimating emotion and upgrading skills for their professional growth.At last, the research provides suggestions for teachers' professional development from teachers' education, kindergarten management and themselves.