Step 2: Embedding a culture of continuous professional growth with Stile Academy

It All Starts with a Launch

Great professional learning isn’t one-size-fits-all – because great teachers aren’t, either.

Stile Academy is a flexible, evidence-based professional learning program designed for science educators. It recognizes that teachers have different strengths, needs and time constraints – and supports them with short, self-paced modules tailored to real classroom practice.

Each module is guided by a Stile Learning Partner who offers feedback, virtual drop-ins and optional coaching, ensuring teachers feel supported – not overwhelmed.

As a leader, you can use Stile Academy to provide meaningful, personalised growth opportunities that align with your school’s goals and fit into the rhythm of everyday teaching.

A strong, values-aligned launch makes all the difference. Your goal is to show teachers that Stile Academy is designed to support – not burden – their professional learning.

• Set a timeline for completion

• Start together

• Complete the Introduction to Stile Academy module

• Launch meeting

Launch meeting

Facilitate a short launch session to introduce Stile Academy to your team. This doesn’t have to be a big event. A short session of 15–20 minutes during a team meeting or staff development time is perfect.

• Show what it looks like: Play the Introduction to Stile Academy video from the Introduction to Stile module.
• Highlight key features: Science-specific, time-efficient, practice-based, see Stile in action in real classrooms, a Stile coach on hand to provide support.
• Emphasise flexibility and trust: Teachers choose their own goals depending on what matters most to them and their individual needs.
• Invite teacher voice: Create space for genuine dialogue:

“What part of your teaching are you most excited to grow in this year?”“What does useful professional learning look like to you?”

This promotes ownership and surfaces early interest.

• Set expectations: Outline how and when it will be used. Teachers are more likely to engage deeply when expectations are clear and manageable.

Experienced educators will naturally consider the practical implications of any new initiative. Anticipate these concerns and speak to them directly, with transparency and respect.

Have all teachers complete the Introduction to Stile Academy module

Set a timeline for when you expect this to be completed. It’s short and quick enough that you may even elect for teachers to complete it during the Launch meeting.

Start together

We recommend aiming for one module per term, allowing time for reflection, classroom implementation and collaborative sharing.

A clear starting point is critical. Depending on your rollout model, you may choose to either assign a common module or allow teachers to self-select based on their individual goals. Set a start date for your team.

Faculty-wide approach:

Begin with a shared module that aligns with your school’s strategic priorities.

Self-paced teacher choice:

Allow teachers to explore the full module library and select the topic most relevant to their classroom practice.

Reflection prompts

• Which rollout model will work best for our team to start – faculty-wide or self-paced? Why?
• How can we make the launch feel like a shared, supported experience rather than an individual task?
• What supports or scaffolds do teachers need to confidently begin their first module?

Set a timeline for completion

Establish a realistic, achievable timeline. Suggested 5-week cycle:

Week 5: Complete the reflections and evaluations for the unit

Weeks 2–4: Set and then implement a Teaching Tweak in the classroom

Week 1: Complete the Spark ideas lesson

Each phase of Stile Academy modules are concise – typically 30 minutes in length – making them well-suited to busy teaching schedules and existing PD time.

Final thoughts

Launching Stile Academy is about more than asking teachers to complete a module. It’s about setting the tone for a culture of ongoing reflection, experimentation and shared growth.

With the right support structures and clear expectations, Stile Academy can quickly become a trusted part of your team’s professional learning ecosystem.

Head to Step 3: Sustain Momentum and Embed Lasting Impact, where we’ll share strategies to maintain engagement, support ongoing growth and ensure Stile Academy becomes a meaningful part of your school’s professional learning culture.