AN INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGICAL MODEL FOR DEVELOPING THE PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATION TEACHERS ON THE BASIS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract. The accelerating integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education has reshaped the expectations placed on early-childhood practitioners, yet systematic mechanisms for cultivating their professional competence in AI-rich environments remain underdeveloped. This article proposes and substantiates an innovative pedagogical model for developing the professional competence of preschool education teachers on the basis of AI technologies. Drawing on a competence-based approach, andragogical principles, and the logic of adaptive learning, the model integrates four interconnected components: a diagnostic-motivational block, a content-technological block, a procedural-activity block, and an evaluative-reflexive block. The study combines a review of contemporary scholarship with a design-based methodology to specify the structure, functions, and pedagogical conditions of the proposed model. The findings indicate that AI-supported instruments — including intelligent tutoring systems, learning analytics, generative content assistants, and adaptive recommendation services — can meaningfully strengthen the cognitive, technological, methodological, and reflexive dimensions of teacher competence when embedded within a coherent pedagogical framework rather than adopted as isolated tools. The article concludes that the effectiveness of the model depends on organisational support, ethical safeguards, and the sustained motivation of practitioners.