We began by reflecting on what had emerged since our last hui — what had helped clarify our purpose, what had challenged our thinking and what we had learned along the way.
For me, some of the most valuable insights have come directly from the people my project is designed for: my students.
Their feedback on preferred activities, design and layout has helped shape my prototype and the early development of my Morphology Jungle site. It has also reminded me that what makes sense to me as the person building the site doesn't necessarily make sense to the students using it independently. Some elements are working well, while others haven't worked quite as I had hoped.
MIT Shark Tank
A key part of the day was our MIT Shark Tank. We had five minutes to present our project as if the people listening knew absolutely nothing about it. We needed to clearly communicate four things: the problem, the tool, the users and the value.
I found this exercise really valuable. When you have been thinking about a project for months, it is easy to get caught up in all the little details. Having only five minutes forced me to come back to the why.
My project began with the huge range of reading needs within my Year 4/5 classroom. How can I use my time more equitably so that every learner gets the support and challenge they need?
Basically...
How can I be in five places at once without cloning myself?
My tool is the Morphology Jungle — an online literacy space where learners can independently practise and apply morphology and reading skills through differentiated and engaging activities.
The aim isn't to replace explicit teaching. Instead, I want the independent learning happening while I work with other groups to be meaningful, accessible and targeted to what each learner needs.
Who is my tool actually for?
The questions and feedback following the Shark Tank challenged my thinking, particularly around who the end-user of my project actually is.
Until now, I have mainly thought about the students.
Can they navigate the site independently? Are the activities engaging? Is the learning at the right level? Will they want to come back and use it?
But through our discussions, I realised there is actually another important user: the teacher.
If I want the Morphology Jungle to be used beyond my own classroom, it can't rely on me being there to explain how everything works. Teachers need to be able to open the site, understand its purpose, find what their learners need and see how it could fit into their literacy programme.
This has given me a more refined focus. The Morphology Jungle needs to become a dual-purpose tool — an engaging and accessible learning space for students, but also a practical resource that helps teachers differentiate literacy learning.
Time to actually build!
A large part of the day was then dedicated to simply getting on with our projects.
Build. Write. Design. Organise. Fix. Get unstuck.
This was probably exactly what I needed.
Not everything is working as well as I had hoped at this stage. I am still investigating different resources and options to find solutions that are simple, effective and accessible for my learners.
One area I need to develop is how I will track engagement. Google Forms is one possibility, but I am wondering whether there is an easier way to see who is accessing the learning, what they are using and how regularly they are returning without creating another complicated system for myself or the students.
Accessibility is another challenge. Some of my learners are still developing their ability to read independently. If I put a PDF and questions on the site, that doesn't automatically mean every learner can access them. I would like to explore ways for students to have the text, instructions and possibly questions read aloud, so that decoding difficulties don't prevent them from participating in the learning.
Build → Test → Improve
One of my biggest challenges is that I keep finding more things I could add.
Another activity. Another game. Another page. Another tool.
There is always something else!
But the message I took from today is that I don't need more ideas. I need to build.
Rather than trying to find the perfect solution before I put it in front of students, I need to build something, let them use it and learn from what actually happens.
Can they navigate independently?
Can all of my learners access the content?
What do they choose to use?
Where do they get stuck?
Are they engaged?
And, most importantly, is it actually helping them as readers and writers?
KPMG Day 2 helped me realise that my final tool doesn't need to include every idea I have had or be perfect before anyone sees it.
It needs to be useful, accessible and practical.
So, less planning and searching for the perfect solution.
This is the beginning of my site.
