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Classroom Curiosity: The Power of “What If?”

Using curiosity to transform teaching when familiar tools disappear

6 min readApr 22, 2025

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An image of someone holding an open book with blank pages.
Image by 鹈鹂 夏 from Pixabay

Imagine walking into your classroom tomorrow and discovering that books never existed: no textbooks on desks, no novels in your classroom library, no reference guides in your cabinet.

How would you teach your lesson? How would your students learn? Where would knowledge and stories live?

As the author of The Book of What If…? and creator of Curiosity-Based Thinking (CBT), I’ve witnessed how questions like “What if books never existed?” can transform ordinary classroom days into extraordinary opportunities for growth, engagement, and teacher satisfaction.

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Image from The Book of What If…?, What if Books Never Existed?
Image from The Book of What If…?, What if Books Never Existed?

The beauty of Curiosity-Based Thinking lies in its classroom-friendly simplicity: it harnesses natural wonder through four intuitive steps that turn “What if…?” into “What now?”

Why Teachers Need Curiosity Now More Than Ever

When standardized testing, curriculum mandates, and digital distractions compete for attention as they too often do in today’s schools, curiosity offers teachers a…

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Matthew Murrie
Matthew Murrie

Written by Matthew Murrie

Author of The Book of What If…?, Founder of What If Curiosity, and Creator of Curiosity-Based Thinking and Curiosity-Based Learning, turning ideas into actions.