Abstract: The human-machine symbiosis in smart education is characterized by human-machine collaboration and co-creation. Its intelligent pedagogical modalities embrace human-machine co-teaching, co-learning, and co-integration. The mechanisms through which human-machine symbiosis enhances learners’ capabilities are manifested as follows: From the perspective of learners’ internal cognitive processes, the transition from information acquisition to practical output constitutes an effective cognitive process; Diversified practical outputs provide the foundation for multimodal data analysis, enabling precise evaluation of learners’ levels and states; Organizing classroom instruction with the value orientation of promoting learners’ abilities facilitates the implementation of teaching activities such as role-playing and group negotiation, thereby advancing learners’ knowledge and skills; Multimodal learning approaches combining human-machine co-teaching, co-learning, and co-integration broaden learners’ cognitive breadth, deepen their cognitive depth, and foster the development of learning capabilities. The pathways for intelligent technologies to empower smart education include: Diversifying teaching methods to create “smart + teaching”; expanding learning resources to build “smart + resources”; emphasizing personalized learning to achieve “smart + learning”; and systematizing classroom management to advance “smart + management”. The application of human-machine symbiosis in smart education should leverage “intelligence” to facilitate teaching (creating intelligent classroom environments), promote learning (strengthening intelligent learning methods), and enable pedagogical innovation (constructing intelligent teaching models). Human-machine symbiosis in smart education holds significant importance for driving educational innovation and achieving high-quality development in smart teaching, which aligns with trends in educational technology and future educational demands.

Key words: human-machine symbiosis, intelligent technologies, smart education, intrinsic mechanisms, intelligent teacher