Business teachers gather at Bethel to explore how to use AI thoughtfully in the classroom

Source Domain: www.bethel.edu

Chisago Lakes High School business teacher Hannah Lindstrom ’16, GS’21 recently returned to Bethel University to connect with other area business educators as artificial intelligence continues reshaping their classrooms. “The opportunity to network and collaborate with other Minnesota business teachers was a rare treat,” Lindstrom says.

Lindstrom joined about 30 other middle and high school business teachers—some alumni and some not—who gathered for Teaching Business with Heart in the Age of AI, a symposium focused on helping teachers use artificial intelligence and technology thoughtfully in their classrooms.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the business world and the classrooms preparing students to enter it. For today’s teachers, that means students need more than familiarity with new tools. They also need guidance on how to use them thoughtfully and responsibly.

Throughout the one-day symposium, business educators worked through practical ways to incorporate tools like generative AI into their classrooms. The focus stayed grounded in strong teaching—clear expectations, thoughtful lesson design, and engaging assignments paired with hands-on learning that prepares business students for their college coursework and jobs after high school. Teachers shared ideas and reflected together through activities like speed networking for business education and an “Hour of AI” session exploring how classroom lessons can stay connected to the realities of today’s business world. “The research and methodology presented had an immediate impact on my classroom’s success and reflection of real-world practices,” says Lindstrom, who earned a business teaching license and M.A. in Teaching from Bethel.

The symposium was hosted by Bethel’s education programs and led by Molly Wickam, Ph.D., the program director for Bethel’s M.A. in Teaching and graduate-level teaching license programs, including the Business Teaching License. For Wickam,…

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