Three ways EP hits the mark at Intermediate
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Two teachers at Takapuna Normal Intermediate School (TNIS) share their teaching journeys and identify their ‘big three’ reasons for using Education Perfect (EP) with an eye on the changing role of teachers in the classroom.
Meet Becks
Becks Spurdle-Fisher started her teaching career in 2009 at North Cross Intermediate, moving to Takapuna Normal Intermediate School (TNIS) in 2023. She teaches a Year 7 and 8 composite class and is the Languages Lead, integrating languages and culture into the curriculum and supporting language tuition. Additionally, she collaborates with colleagues on literacy initiatives.
Inspired by her father, a teacher in music and performing arts and Deputy Principal, and her mother’s role as a teacher aide, Becks was drawn to education. Her father’s dedication and strong relationships with his students motivated her to pursue teaching, recognizing its significant impact on young lives, “He passed away in 2018, but the stories, videos, and photos that his past students shared with us were incredibly inspiring. This keeps me motivated and I see this as a lifelong career despite its challenges. Ultimately, you’re making a lasting difference in young people’s lives.”
Meet Yvette
Yvette Wong has taught at TNIS for a year and a half but also studied at the school herself, “I had a great time but things were very different, a lot of writing, book work, not a lot of EP online!”
Like Becks, she is also the product of a family of teachers, “I watched my mum, dad and uncles teach and, inspired by their stories, I decided to give it a try. The pride they felt in their student successes played a big role in my decision to become a teacher. After earning my teaching degree, I taught overseas for a few years before returning to New Zealand.”
Becks’ and Yvette’s EP Journey
Becks’ first school introduced EP in response to a need for a versatile platform that could cover all curriculum areas, and EP fit this requirement perfectly. “We were in this weird situation where we had all these different online platforms on the go, and it was getting really tricky for teachers to navigate and assign work. ”
On moving to TNIS, Becks discovered, much to her relief, that EP was an established part of school life with well-defined structures for its use, “Take maths for example, the Math Lead had created pre- and post-tests that aligned with the TNIS math standards and the whole school was using them.”
Yvette’s EP journey began more recently, Becks and Yvette pinpoint three reasons why they love using EP at Intermediate level.
“Since starting at TNIS, I have been using EP for maths, science, and languages, including Te Reo, which has been a great help for me personally.”
Consistent and clear learning pathways
They both identify the direct alignment between EP and the school’s standards as a huge benefit of EP, citing how it ensures that students have a consistent and clear learning pathway between assessment and classroom lessons. Becks gives an example, “We directly link EP to our maths standards which the students have glued in their books. At the end of a unit or strand, or if we want to do a check-in test, everything on EP aligns with what they’re learning in class, right down to the language that’s being used. There’s this clear pathway for our learners which is awesome.”
Differentiation at teachers’ finger tips
Secondly, Yvette and Becks value the versatility of EP for managing diverse student needs. Yvette expands,
“I love that the EP assessments break down into different progressions. I can track learning progress and adjust my teaching accordingly, identifying where my class as a whole needs support and responding to individual learner needs.”
Becks agrees, “At Intermediate, student abilities range from level two to level five of the curriculum. Previously I would spend hours figuring out independent work for my students but now I have the confidence in EP that my level two learner is getting just as good quality learning as my level five learner. I’m not giving the students time just filled with stuff; I know they’re getting quality work and quality learning. EP would probably be one of the only tools that I’ve used so far in my career that does cater for everyone.”
Simple to navigate and motivating to use
Becks and Yvette are also fans of the ease of use that EP offers both teachers and students. Teachers no longer need to navigate multiple platforms or spend countless hours preparing resources. As Becks describes, “Teaching is so busy and complex. It is a relief to know that I can jump onto EP and access appropriate level, relevant, up to date content for our learners. It is also straightforward to jump in and look at the results. I’m not having to print off individual pages and then sit there having to work my way through it all.”
Intermediate level students too find it easy to access resources, “I’ve used other online platforms before and throughout the whole test, there are hands up and ‘Miss there’s a problem’ but in EP they can navigate the screen and love that the feedback is instant.”
Yvette is a huge fan of the variety activities EP offers teachers and students, all straightforward to use, “There’s the ANZ challenges, Dash, and various quizzes that are perceived by the students as games. It’s such a fun way to learn, especially with the multiplayer option as well. My learners love to check where they are up to on the leaderboards. It gives them that extra encouragement and motivation to just hop onto EP and do a couple more tasks.”
EP and the future of teaching
Becks summarises the journey she has been on since becoming a teacher,
“The role of the teacher has really changed. Initially, we didn’t have devices in the classroom and had to book computer suites for ICT lessons. Now, with one-to-one devices, students can access information easily, changing how we design learning and support critical thinking skills. Platforms like EP are vital in keeping up with these changes to support teachers.”
Yvette reflects on the expectations of today’s students in terms of levels of interaction and real time feedback, “EP meets these expectations and supports teachers by giving us the resources and creating the time for us to consolidate on this style of learning.”
Becks and Yvette are excited about how AI is going to offer even more opportunities for meeting 21st century students’ expectations. Becks has recently started exploring how AI can support her teaching, “As someone who enjoys designing learning experiences based on the New Zealand curriculum, it took me a while to consider using AI, as it felt like cheating! However, with encouragement from my team, I’ve found that AI can create some impressive resources. The challenge now is figuring out how to integrate AI with effective classroom teaching practices.”
