Samsung’s Teacher Academy workshops — both in-person and virtual — have long focused on training teachers to leverage (PBL), an educational approach that emphasizes problem identification and solution-finding. Applying STEM learning to real-world issues demonstrates STEM’s value both inside and outside the classroom. As PBL has become more widely embraced by educators, so too has the need to understand other key elements of a creative, solutions-focused approach to STEM. That’s why the Solve for Tomorrow team centered this season’s Teacher Academy around timely topics—AI, Entrepreneurship, and Design Thinking—to help today’s teachers equip Gen Z and Gen Alpha students with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.

Nearly all teachers (96%) believe AI will become an intrinsic part of education within the next decade, yet 97% say they lack the necessary resources to integrate emerging technologies like AI into their curricula. The workshop, led by Mindspark Learning, explored how AI tools can enhance teaching while addressing concerns such as ethics, cheating, and responsible use. Educators learned practical ways to use AI in classrooms and discussed how to ensure students learn responsible AI practices that promote ethical decision-making and digital literacy.

Although 99% of teachers agree that entrepreneurship fosters creativity, teamwork, and business ethics, only 20% of middle and high schools offer entrepreneurship classes. To tackle this gap, the workshop, led by BUILD.org, equipped educators with tools to inspire entrepreneurial thinking. Teachers learned key marketing principles—People, Product, Place, Price, Promotion—to help students develop ideas that are both innovative and marketable, ensuring sustainability in their projects long after the competition.

Design Thinking encourages structured problem-solving and has been embraced by industries from product design to business consulting. The workshop, facilitated by the Samsung Education Solutions team, introduced educators to the game. This interactive experience guided participants through the five-step process—Problem, Research, Understand, Solve, Share—helping them apply inclusive, human-centered solutions to real-world issues. The workshop underscored how design thinking is essential for fostering critical problem-solving skills in the classroom.

To date, more than 700 teachers have participated in the Solve for Tomorrow Teacher Academy program. Combined with Samsung’s commitment of over $29 million in technology and classroom resources to nearly 4,300 public schools across the U.S., this work underscores how Samsung is helping to close both the knowledge and resource gaps in STEM education. Stay tuned for more Teacher Academy sessions launching this summer and throughout the next school year. Due to teacher demand, we’re reintroducing an in-person component—on July 22, we’ll host a full day of professional development workshops at our Washington, D.C. office with Samsung Education coaches. We’ll also continue exploring timely themes like AI and design thinking in future Teacher Academy sessions.

To learn more about Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, please visit www.samsung.com/solve and follow us on Instagram and Facebook. Applications for the 2025–2026 national STEM competition will open in August 2025, and all participating teachers are invited to join Solve for Tomorrow Teacher Academy program to upskill and continue their learning journey.