Every day, you watch your students' eyes glaze over as you ask the same tired questions. You know they're capable of more, but the traditional 'Who knows the answer?' approach isn't cutting it anymore.
Stop asking boring questions in your classroom.
This matrix changed everything about how I understood teaching.
(And I'd like to think my students' critical thinking skills improved)
Most instructors stick to the basic questions:
→ "Does anyone know?"
→ "What's the answer?"
→ "Who can tell me?"
But these create passive learners who just memorize facts.
Here's what transformed my classroom:
The Question Matrix (q-matrix) unlocks 6 levels of thinking:
1. Present (IS/DO)
↪︎Questions about what's happening right now
↪︎Gets students to observe and describe
2. Past (DID)
↪︎Questions about what happened
↪︎Builds connection to prior knowledge
3. Possibility (CAN)
↪︎Questions about what's possible
↪︎Sparks creative problem-solving
4. Probability (WOULD)
↪︎Questions about likely scenarios
↪︎Develops analytical thinking
5. Prediction (WILL)
↪︎Questions about future outcomes
↪︎Strengthens forecasting abilities
6. Imagination (MIGHT)
↪︎Questions about hypotheticals
↪︎Encourages innovative thinking
The real power?
Each level combines with 6 question types:
WHAT, WHERE/WHEN, WHICH, WHO, WHY, HOW
That's 36 different ways to push thinking deeper. Wow.
It's a powerful tool and new angle to inquiry in the classroom.
Why? Because now students have a framework to organize their thoughts.
Start small. Pick one level.
Test different question types.
See what works for your students.