In all the world, in all spheres of industry demand for creative, talented solutions grows rapidly, and nowadays much attention is paid to innovations, to rising efficiency and to development of adults’ creativity, but in fact it is fight with consequences, not with the causes. Talent, talented and innovative thinking are not inborn qualities but a set of thinking procedures and methods. If people knew much earlier in their lives how to use those methods, how to solve intellectual tasks and find solutions, they could be more successful in the learning and acquiring education process and more effective and innovative in their working life, irrespective of the sphere they work in. Therefore teachers must know how to make their pupils not only repeat already created things and “the right” solutions, but to think, generate new ideas, solve different problems and find innovative solutions and therefore it is very important to improve and strengthen the level of pedagogues’ professional profile and know-how. The aim of the project is to establish exchange of innovative practices among project participating organisations and on the basis of such exchange to work out new methodology "Theory and Practice of Training in Talented and Innovative Thinking in Schools" for primary and lower secondary school teachers to help them develop talented and innovative thinking in their pupils. The direct target groups of the project are teachers of schools, pedagogues and students of higher education pedagogical institutions and trainers of adult education institutions - further education providers for teachers. The new methodological concept will raise professional standards and strengthen professional profile of the direct target groups, they will serve as a channel to the end-users - pupils and students, and thus will help to raise quality of education in schools, improve school pupils' results, reduce disparities of learning outcomes and prevent early school leaving caused by learning difficulties. Organisations that represent all the above-mentioned direct and indirect target groups will be involved in the project: a university that trains future teachers; two institutions - teachers' further education providers and researchers in the field of the quality of education; an organisation which unites teachers from several schools and organises different educational activities for teachers and children; and schools. Three learning activities will be implemented during the project and the methodology will be tested in open lessons in schools, in teachers' focus groups and will be evaluated by external experts – teachers, heads of schools and experts from pedagogical HEIs. The final result is integration of the new methodology into the curriculum of the organisations involved in the project and dissemination of information about methodology and its practical usage in schools, pedagogical HEIs and institutions-further education providers for teachers.
What is demanded from people today and intended for the future? The ability to think and the ability to quickly solve any complicated problem, the courage to think. In the entire world the demand for creative, talented solutions is growing rapidly in all the spheres of industry, and nowadays much attention is paid to innovations, to efficiency of work, and thus to development of adults’ creativity. However, talent, i.e. talented and innovative thinking is rarely considered to be an inborn quality but a set of acquired thinking procedures and methods. If early in their lives people knew how to use these methods, how to solve intellectual tasks and find solutions, they would be more successful in the process of learning at all its stages, more effective and innovative in their working life irrespective of the sphere they worked in. Therefore teachers must know how to make their pupils not only recycle the already created things and use “the right” solutions, but think themselves and generate new ideas, solve newly emerging problems and find innovative solutions; and therefore it is very important to strengthen pedagogues’ professional profile and develop know-how in the area of talented thinking advancement. The aim of the project is to promote exchange of innovative practices among the participating organisations and, on the basis of such exchange, to work out a new methodology "Theory and Practice of Training in Talented and Innovative Thinking in Schools" for primary and lower secondary school teachers with the aim to help them develop talented and innovative thinking in their pupils. This methodology reviews scientific literature and research-based materials and includes latest developments and methodological and practical recommendations on different didactical, organisational and institutional issues relating to teaching innovative thinking in the frame of general education. The central place in this methodology is allocated to TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) and to adaptation of various aspects of this method to school teaching practices. The methodology is available in four languages - English, Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian. The mine target group of the methodology and the project are primary and lower secondary school teachers, pedagogues and students of higher education pedagogical institutions and trainers of adult education institutions - further education providers for teachers. Representatives of all the above-mentioned target groups were involved in the project: pedagogues and students of the Pedagogical Faculty of the University; teachers and researchers working at issues of the quality of education from two institutions - teachers' further education providers; representatives of an educational body that unites teachers from several schools and organises different activities for teachers and children; teachers and pupils from different schools. The tasks included in the methodology were tested in pupils’ groups in schools; the methodology was evaluated in teachers' focus groups (a total of 161 pupils, 43 teachers from 14 schools and 19 prospective and current pedagogues from Vytautas Magnus University were involved in the process of testing and evaluation); three external experts in the sphere of education gave their recommendations and assessed the methodology. In addition to work on the methodology, one transnational project partners meeting, three learning and teaching activities and three multiplier events were held during the project time. Integration of the new methodology into the curricula of the organisations involved in the project has already been initiated. Information about the project and the new methodology is being disseminated to a wide circle of stakeholders outside the project, in the project countries and outside them. In the long run, the new methodological concept will raise professional standards and perfect professional profile of its users – pedagogues, and thus will help to raise the quality of education in schools and improve school pupils' learning results. Later in years to come, today’s pupils – future workers are expected to be able to use their talented thinking abilities acquired at school and reach proficiency in creating new intellectual products and solutions.