On November 27, 2025, the Kazakh National Women’s Teacher Training University hosted a meeting with Marion Valentin, a graduate of the Sorbonne and the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a leading expert in the field of education.
The invited specialist from the United States delivered a lecture to 4th-year students of the Institute of Philology enrolled in the educational program “Foreign Language: Two Foreign Languages.” She shared her experience in implementing social-emotional learning (SEL) in the process of teaching English to rural schoolchildren in Kazakhstan.
The main purpose of the meeting was to support the professional development of future English teachers, provide detailed information on integrating SEL into the educational process, and discuss possible forms of further cooperation.
Additionally, the social educational initiative Aul.Inspired, created by graduates of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and supported by the Harvard Innovation Lab, expressed interest in expanding joint projects. The team, paying particular attention to studying the impact of SEL on language learning, considered opportunities for collaborative research in educational psychology, language acquisition, and regional studies. Moreover, the initiative’s representatives stated their readiness to discuss conducting SEL training for students, organizing master classes on language pedagogy for teachers and future educators, and integrating SEL into curricula to boost learners’ confidence when studying a foreign language.
During the meeting, Marion Valentin shared her experience and provided comprehensive answers to students’ questions. The event strengthened the university’s international academic ties and opened new opportunities for future collaboration.
