FOREIGN SCHOLARS HELD AN INTERNATIONAL COWORKING SESSION

At Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, an international coworking session was held with the participation of professors from the Hong Kong University of Education, titled `Inclusive Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Innovations and Challenges for Educators.` The event was organized to promote the effective integration of artificial intelligence technologies into the inclusive education system and to teach educators modern pedagogical methods.

The session was opened by the Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Banu Narbekova, who highlighted the implementation of the tasks for the national development of artificial intelligence raised in the President`s Address. According to her, in the digital age, it is essential to align the training of teaching staff with new requirements, making such platforms for international experience exchange highly relevant.

During the coworking session, Professor Yanzhe Sun from the Hong Kong University of Education delivered a presentation on AI-based approaches aimed at improving the emotional well-being of students with special educational needs. He introduced the highly effective smart vest technology and explained its working principle in detail. According to the professor, the smart vest monitors a child`s emotional state using sensors. When anxiety or stress levels rise, AI algorithms send a notification to the educator. An additional feature — light vibration or pressure— helps calm the child, facilitating the adaptation of children with autism spectrum disorders to the learning process. The smart vest was highly praised as an innovation that allows real-time monitoring of a student’s condition and individualization of teaching in an inclusive educational environment.

Associate Professor Yuen Chi Poon from the Hong Kong University of Education also discussed the scientific foundations for assessing young children`s listening abilities in noisy environments and emphasized the importance of sound discrimination quality in the learning process. The scholar demonstrated the advantages of modern audiological technologies and artificial intelligence in analyzing auditory information through practical examples.

Domestic experts also presented their work at the session, including researchers from Abai KazNU, KazNU, and SDU. For example, Abai University PhD student Yulduz Iminova showcased new possibilities for teaching children safety rules by combining playful learning methods with artificial intelligence.

The coworking session highlighted that the professional training of preschool educators should take into account the characteristics of the `Alpha generation.` Educators` professional competence must be complemented by the ability to effectively use smart games and digital tools. A modern educator should master not only traditional knowledge but also technological thinking and information literacy.

Press Service of Abai

Kazakh National Pedagogical University