"Despite existing perceptions that education in Bulgaria has been working using outdated methods, Bulgarian pre-school and school education has been rapidly developing. For just 2 years 294 innovative schools have opened in 103 towns, 90 municipalities and 28 districts. Less than 10% of them are private, 266 are state and municipal. Innovations are born everywhere." This is how Bulgarian Deputy Minister of Education Denitsa Sacheva opened the conference dedicated to creative education, which took place on October 4 in Sofia. The forum was organized by the Faculty of Education and Arts of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". The words of famous education and creativity expert sir Ken Robinson were also heard. According to him it was time for creativity in education to have equal importance as literacy. Success of each of us in the future will depend on creativity. All participants in the conference expressed the opinion that the time has come for a change in traditional methods and forms of teaching as today's children would be working and living in a different world in the future. They will certainly have to practice a few different professions, live in several different countries, perhaps on several continents, and monotonous and mechanical work will be entrusted to robots. In such a world human creativity will be of crucial importance in every aspect of life.

According to Deputy Minister Sacheva, the new trends are seen everywhere, and there is a process of change in education systems around the world, with creative education being at the heart of this change. "Systems are being adapted to give not only knowledge and skills, but also to build the competencies of the 21st century. These include creativity, digital skills, media literacy, civic sensitivity, etc.," she said.

An example of successful implementation of creativity in education is the course of Marta Grigorova for studying English language at the Center for Classical Suggestopedia "Vihrovenia". The course is especially suited to mothers with babies, thanks to the original educational system called Suggestopedia and created by famous Bulgarian scientist, psychiatrist and pedagogue, Prof. Georgi Lozanov, and further developed by a team of researchers and lecturers in the Institute of Suggestology, led by him in 1966-1991. It was recognized as an innovative method by UNESCO back in 1978. "I myself have been a certified pedagogue using this method since 2013. This is a very good method that gives excellent results," Marta Grigorova says, adding:

"We have a very interesting class with the mothers and they make their first presentation on the topic of ‘My family’ at the beginning. Each has the task of presenting using her artistic talent, which is part of our teaching method. The children themselves also perceive language through games, songs, music, and everything offered in our center. When using suggestopedic forms of teaching, the personality of the lecturer and how they influence students is important. The atmosphere is relaxed and students receive constant feedback about their achievements. In an environment where there is no stress or strain, students are quickly becoming confident in their ability to learn and use foreign language with ease. There is always room for digital technology in education, but our method relies entirely on personal interaction between people."

It is extremely important for Suggestopedia that knowledge is transferred personally - from the teacher to the pupils as they interact. The right formula is achieved when there is a combination of positive attitude with desire and enthusiasm for learning. And the role of the teacher is to keep this level of positive energy high. "Together with the course for mothers we have just started to hold the so-called music tale meetings. At our meetings we read together fairytales against the backdrop of classical music, performed live on piano and violin," Marta says and continues:

"Suggestopedia is a comprehensive method. The learning process when using this method contributes not only to effective studying of a foreign language ​​or another subject, but also to the overall development and satisfaction of the students. The basis of the method is the positive and supportive environment. I have also taught using traditional methods in school, but I always knew there was something more, something beyond the standards. In teaching, there must be a positive attitude and a warm attitude towards everyone."

English: Alexander Markov