<< Background >>Ensuring that all students reach their full potential in accordance with their abilities is vital for the sustainable evolution of every society. According to the EU policy framework (ET 2020) in regards to education, it is a top priority to establish effective educational practices in order to maximise productivity and continued innovation. Future professionals need to acquire skills and knowledge as effectively and efficiently as possible in the current education system so that Europe continues to evolve and expand advancements. Educating gifted and talented pupils is crucial as they could potentially be the future eminent path breakers and innovators (Subotnik & Rickoff, 2009.) In a survey that took place in the UK by Ofsted (2013) it was found that the most able pupils were not achieving their potential in over 40% of the participating schools. According to the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), underachievement (a discrepancy between ability and achievement) of gifted and talented pupils is a common phenomenon at a global scale that needs to be addressed. The main potential causes are:-lack of interest in curriculum due to lack of challenging and engaging material;-low teacher expectations;-lack of opportunity to be recognized due to disadvantaged background;-psychological/social issues as well as undiagnosed learning disabilities;This project aims to tackle the issue of underachievement of talented and gifted pupils by addressing each of the risk factors. In addition, teachers need to feel like their time is well spent in order to get the most out of it for themselves and their students. In addition to their limited time, the pressure to learn new teaching strategies that speak to the new and higher demands of the system, puts more emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving as opposed to rote-based learning (Meador, 2020.)Studies in this field have clearly shown that the “gifted” pupils population has specific needs, requiring specific teaching methods and a tailored challenging learning environment. Current researches (Khalil & Accariya, 2016; Keren & Hamovitz, 2020), show that teachers dealing with gifted and talented students should possess the following qualities:Awareness of the cognitive and affective needs of gifted and talented students.Knowledge of instructional methods appropriate for highly able learners.Ability to impart intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for learning to students.High level of energy, enthusiasm, confidence and resourcefulness.Willingness to seek experts to supplement the program where additional expertise is needed.Ability to organize and manage instruction to provide for a balance of structure and flexibility.Openness to innovation and acceptance of divergent, creative thinking.Ability to facilitate students' independence and development of personal responsibility for their own learning.Willingness to pursue training for needed professional understanding and competence.GATE responds to these needs as further research will lay the foundation for the understanding of the gifted classroom teachers' effective and meaningful characteristics. Furthermore, research will emphasise the way of tracing and selecting those teachers and the gap needed to be closed in order of bringing them to full effective performance in the classroom.Lastly, this issue is more relevant than ever in the context of COVID19 and its aftermath. The digitalization of education in multiple countries has had a great impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of traditional teaching methods. Andreas Schleicher (2020) asserts that knowledge loss leads to skill/productivity loss which implicate negative economic consequences for future societies due to the effect of COVID19 on education. The need to accelerate and effectively and efficiently enhance the abilities and skills of the most able students is essential in limiting the negative effects of COVID19 on future societies.<< Objectives >>The project “Teachers Training Programme for Supporting Gifted and Talented Students” (GATE) aims to enhance the competencies and skills of primary education teachers to help gifted and talented pupils (age 8-11 y.o.) develop their full potential and thrive. To achieve this general aim, the project will reach the following specific objectives: 1. To design an innovative teaching methodology supporting gifted and talented pupils’ cognitive and emotional needs;Since current teaching methodologies adopted in most schools are failing to address the needs of gifted and talented students, GATE project will aim to overcome this issue by redefining the correct practices that teachers should follow to maximise their students' potential. The methodology devised within this project will be designed according to an holistic approach, addressing both the cognitive and affective needs of gifted and talented students through the integration of the STEAM approach with Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) in order to help pupils develop the following three sets of skills, i.e., Learning Skills, Literacy Skills, Life Skills, also called as “The 21st Century Skills” .2. To provide a training programme for teachers that will help them obtain relevant knowledge and skills on how to recognize and teach gifted and talented pupils.As most teachers are lacking the competencies and skills necessary to provide gifted and talented pupils with the adequate support to express their abilities and feel motivated, GATE will aim to tackle this shortage by designing and testing a specific training programme targeted to develop such skills in primary education teachers. The programme will be based on the most recent findings in the literature and it will train teachers in the GATE methodology.3. Increase the academic performance of gifted and talented underachievers in STEM, as well as their socio-emotional competencies.The project will aim to increase the results of gifted and talented underachievers in STEM and improve their socio-emotional competencies by training primary teachers and educators from both primary schools and education centers for gifted and talented students. Trained teachers will test the methodology learned in their schools and centers, generating an immediate positive impact on the gifted and talented students in their classes. 4. To increase the awareness of teachers, school staff, public authorities and education experts about gifted and talented children.The project will also aim to raise awareness among target groups (i.e., primary education teachers, educators, pupils) and stakeholders (i.e., school staff, public authorities, education experts) about the topic of gifted and talented students, in order to promote the spread and adoption of new strategies helping reduce the number of gifted and talented pupils underachieving.<< Implementation >>The activities of GATE project could be divided into three main phases:Phase 1 - Research.All project partners will conduct research to define the GATE Teaching Methodology. This step will include two different kind of researches:Primary research. It will consist in the administration of questionnaires, the conducting of semi-structured interviews, and/or focus groups with primary education teachers, educators, school staff, education experts, gifted and talented pupils (8-11 y.o.) from primary schools and education centers for gifted students in partner countries. The primary research will aim to collect from all the above-mentioned groups their opinions, expectations and wishes on gifted education and on what makes a “good teacher”, in an effort to co-design with them the GATE Methodology. Each partner will create a “National Report'' (5 in total) summarizing their findings. The results of the report will be further analyzed and compared to create a “Transnational Analysis” of the research carried out. Finally, the results of the reports and the “Transnational Analysis” will be used as a starting point to determine the “21st Century Teacher skill set”, a document defining thoroughly the hard and soft skills that teachers dealing with gifted and talented students should need to possess in order to help them thrive. Desk Research.The desk research will be devoted to the collection of useful information to define the theoretical basis of the GATE Methodology. All partners will identify:The skills and competencies that teachers should possess to address the needs of gifted pupils;Good teaching practices for gifted and talented students adopted at national and international level;National and EU policies;Knowledge on how to adopt the STEAM approach and Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) with gifted and talented pupils;How to adopt digital tools for teaching to gifted and talented students;The outcomes of these researches will determine the first result of the project: R1 - GATE Methodological Material. Phase 2 - Training Programme Design.During Phase leading partners will propose a structure of training programme and all partners will work on the creation of the GATE Training Programme, defining together its modules, content, outcomes and specific activities. The Training Programme will be based on the results of the previous phase and it will be created to maximise its impact on both teachers and pupils.Phase 3 - Testing. Finally, Phase 3 will be devoted to the testing of both the GATE Methodology and the GATE Training Programme. The testing phase will be carried out in two rounds:The first round will be dedicated to the testing of GATE methodology in primary schools that receive both gifted and non-gifted pupils. Partners will administer the GATE - Training Programme to teachers from partners and associated partner schools, in order to give them the necessary abilities to adopt GATE - Methodology in their schools. After completing the training, teachers will be asked to test the methodology in their classes for 12 weeks, while partners will monitor the development of the activities through the administration of monthly questionnaires to both teachers and students.The second round of testing will be devoted to the training and testing in education centers for only gifted students, in order to verify the efficacy of the GATE Methodology in classes composed only of gifted students. Also this testing will last 12 weeks and partners will monitor the activities by sending and receiving questionnaires every 4 weeks. The results of the 2 rounds of testing will be collected and analyzed by partners to elaborate two summary reports, presenting strengths and weaknesses of GATE Methodology, its results, as well as instructions on how to adopt it in classes composed by gifted and non-gifted students and in classes with only gifted and talented students.<< Results >>GATE project foresees the development of two main Results (R):R1- GATE Methodological Material.This result will include three main deliverables:1. Five National reports and 1 Transnational; A summary of the findings obtained during the primary research phase, in which partners investigated the opinions, perspective and expectations of primary school teachers, educators, staff, pupils (8-11 y.o.), researchers and education regarding gifted education and what defines a “good teacher”. 2. Skill set of the 21st Century Teacher;The second deliverable of this result will be the definition of the “Skillset of the 21st Century Teacher”, which will determine the hard and soft skills that teachers dealing with gifted and talented pupils need to possess in order to ensure the provision of a high quality education. 3. Methodological Material.The third and final deliverable will be an ebook comprising all the previous documents together with the results of the desk research: a) a systematic literature review on teaching methodologies suitable for gifted and talented students;b) a practical guideline to support the recognition of giftedness and talent in pupils;c) the presentation of national and international good practices;d) the description of GATE Teaching Methodology for gifted and talented students.R2- GATE Training Programme.A complete programme aiming to train primary education teachers on the GATE Methodology to teach gifted and talented students. GATE Training Programme will be based on a mixture of theory and practice to maximise its training potential. The theoretical part will mainly be based on the results of R1, presenting the benefits the GATE Methodology can bring when teaching to gifted and talented students. During the theoretical part of the course, teachers will learn considerably about the theoretical practices supporting the GATE Methodology (i.e. the STEAM approach and Socio-Emotional Learning [SEL]), while during the practical section they will investigate real-life scenarios, in order to learn the correct behaviors they should adopt when teaching in classes with gifted and non-gifted pupils or in classes with only gifted pupils. This result will also include two separate testings, one in primary schools and the other in education centers for gifted students. The deliverable of these two testings will be two reports on the efficacy of the GATE Methodology and the GATE Training Programme, including instructions and tips on how to better adopt them.Main deliverables:1. GATE Training Programme;2. Two Reports from the testing occurred in primary schools and gifted centers;In terms of impact, the project will generate the following outcomes:- Establishment of teachers and educators trained in GATE methodology;- Increase of gifted and talented students’ academic results and satisfaction with scholastic activities;- Increased awareness among schools, public authorities and education experts about giftednessLong-term benefits of the project will be:- Diffusion of teaching practices for gifted and talented students at European level;- Decrease of gifted and talented students underachieving;- Establishment of a stronger collaboration between education centers for gifted students and primary schools