In today's knowledge and information society college teachers face really high requirements. If in the past it was sufficient to be competent in one's own subject and to know well its teaching methods, nowadays a collge teacher must be able to function in constantly changing environment for striving to reach high quality performance. Contemporary college teacher's relationship with information, new knowledge is of special significance, as rapid change of teaching contents, methods, teaching means has been typical of educational institutions more than ever. With the help of information technologies, such innovations are easily accessible, but hard to manage.It's natural that in pedagogical, research literature and mass media more and more often one can notice or hear about a feature of receptivity to innovations as typical of contemporary teacher. It seems that due to information technologies innovation search is not a hard nut to crack for teachers: there are so many of new ideas that it seems as if they themselves are asking to be implemented. But the biggest failure it would be to start implementing any innovation having jus heard about it or only because it is a novelty. Fullan (2002) points out that the main purpose today should not be implementation of as many innovations as possible, but doing that selectively, coherently, harmoniously. Teacher's receptivity should not be elemental, spontaneous. It is a complex and therefore complicated process where teacher performs a number of important activities using different knowledge and abilities.By this paper we are trying to answer the following problematic questions: how does college teacher's receptivity to pedagogical innovations manifest itself in innovative process, particularly in its phase of initiation? What rational activities of receptivity does a teacher fulfill in selecting the best pedagogical innovations?The paper consists of five sections. The first section analyzes the phenomenon of rational receptivity in relation with associated concepts; in the second section rational receptivity is discussed in the context of innovative process; the third section deals with college teacher's activities in selecting the best pedagogical innovations; the fourth section deals with research on college teachers' receptivity to pedagogical innovations. And the final - fifth- section presents the research results and conclusions. Key words: pedagogical innovation, rational receptivity, absorptive capacity, innovative process, pedagogical innovation selection.Research literature analysis, written questionnaire. Rationality of college teachers' receptivity to pedagogical innovations when selecting the best pedagogical innovation depends on the following factorspedagogical innovation's relative advantage. It could be tested by comparing the innovation with the activities in the past. College teachers evaluate that through their self-assessment and students' written questionnaries and interviews; pedagogical innovation's compatibility. It could be tested by comparing the innovation with the institution's culture, aims of the study programmes and modules, students' needs. College teacher evaluates that through document analysis and students' written questionnaries and interviews. pedagogical innovation's complexity. It could be tested by comparing the idea of the innovation with the students' and teachers' knowledge and learning potential. pedagogical innovation's trialability. It could be tested by trying the pedagogical innovation in one group of students or separate students and analyzing the results.pedagogical innovation's observability. It can be tested by comparing the pedagogical innovation's potential with the results of the present activity.Hord et al., (1998), Taking charge of change. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Rogers, E. (1995), Diffusion of Innovations, 4th edn., New York: The Free Press. Zahra, S.A., George, G. (2002). Absorptive Capacity: A Review, Reconceptualization, and Extension. Academy of Management Review, 2000. Vol. 27, No 2. , 185-203.Zinkevi?ien?, N. (2003). Educational organization receptivity to pedagogical innovations in the aspect of innovation characteristics. Education-line (British Educational Index - BEI) http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003353.htmZinkevi?ien?, N. (2004). How to examine educational organization receptivity to pedagogical innovations? Education-line (British Educational Index - BEI). http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003795.htmZinkevi?ien?, N. (2005). Teachers' receptivity to curriculum change: possible barriers to the innovation initiation phase. Education-line (British Educational Index - BEI). http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/150415.htmZinkevi?ien?, N., Jani?nait?, B. (2006). Teacher's Rational Receptivity to Innovations: Activities in the Initiation Phase. Socialiniai mokslai, Nr. 1 (51), p.65-81. Education-line