Start here if you are brand new to teaching with Stile. This article explains how to set up a Subject with content and students.
There are four key steps to get started.
- Create an account or log in with an existing account;
- Create a Subject;
- Add lessons to the Subject from the Stile Science library;
- Enrol students.
Watch this quick video and read on for a more detailed step-by-step guide.
1. Log in at StileApp.com
Teachers and students with Stile accounts can log in via stileapp.com. If you don't have an account, then you will need to be invited to join your school.
You can get an invitation from your school's Stile admin to sign up as a teacher. Usually the admin role is held by a Head of Science, Head of Department, or someone in a similar role. You can also get set up by attending a Stile PD. If you are unsure who to talk to at your school to get the invitation, then contact Stile's Support team for more help.
The invitation will arrive via email with an unique link to create an account. The link is good for only one use - don't share it with anyone!
Note for Victorian Goverment teachers: No invitation is necessary! Stile will recognise your eduMail email and password automatically. Enter these details at stileapp.com and you will be redirected to the Department portal for a one-time account verification.
2. Create a Subject
Content and students are organised in Subjects. Use Subjects to:
- Add and edit lesson content;
- Enrol students and assign them lessons;
- Direct lessons from the front of the classroom;
- Keep track of student marks and progress in the Subject's Markbook.
On your home page, type a descriptive Subject name in the text box marked with a grey book and click Create subject. Commonly used naming schemes include the year level, topic, and the teacher's name (e.g. "Year 9 Science - McDichael," "07SCI Mr McD," or "Stage 4 STEM"). This can help students who are in multiple Subjects with different teachers.
The new Subject will appear on the home page, now marked with a green book. Click on the Subject to enter it.
3. Choose content from the library
The Lessons page within the Subject is where you will add and organise lessons for your students.
Click on the blue Browse the Lesson Library button and then select Years 5-10 Science Lessons from the menu that appears.
Stile science lessons are bundled in collections called Units, which cover a range of year levels and science topics. Use the dropdown menus to sort the library by year level and topic, or use the search bar to look for specific keywords.
Click on a unit in the library to learn more about it: read its Overview, browse the lesson previews, and see how it ties into the state or national curriculum.
Click the blue Add Unit button and carefully follow the prompts to add it to your Subject. A fresh copy of the unit will appear on your Subject's Lessons page.
Units are organised into folders, which have dark grey headers.
The top of the folder includes an overview section visible to students and teachers. It can be used to introduce the topic, entice students with a connection to a current event, and offer a brief description of what will be learned.
The middle section of the folder contains the lessons. All of these are visible to the teacher, and the teacher decides which lessons to release to the students. By default, Stile lessons are available to all students and assessments (quizes and tests) are hidden from all students.
The light grey footer at the bottom of the folder contains teaching notes - these are hidden from students and can provide teachers with extra information and links to more resources.
4. Enrol students
Add students to the Subject so they can see and participate in lessons. Go to the Students page by clicking the Students button in the green header. This can be done at the start of the first class period and only needs to be done once.
Take a look at this example. The class code is unique to this specific class in Mr. McD's Year 7 Intro to Science Subject. Give this code to your students and ask them to go to stileapp.com/join in their web browsers.
When students go to stileapp.com/join they will see the screen in the above image. They will each be prompted to either set up a new account or log in to an existing account when they enter the class code. All students in the class can use this code.
They only need to do this once per Subject. After their first day they will no longer need a class code to access Year 7 Intro to Science - Mr McD. All they will need to do is log in at stileapp.com and click on that Subject on their home page.
That's it! You and your students are ready to participate in your first Stile science lesson. 👏
Now that you have students working in your Subject, check out these next steps: