If we want students to be fully
empowered to own the creative process, we need to understand what it means for
students to reach a state of creative flow. The History of the Theory
Although the idea of Flow has existed for thousands of years, Flow Theory
began in the 1970’s and 80’s when Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi became
fascinated by artists who were so lost in their creative work that they would lose track
of time and even ignore food, water, and sleep. Through his research, he noticed a
similar experience with scientists, athletes, and authors. It
was a state of hyper-focus and complete engagement that he
described as “optimal experience.” The Basics of the Theory
Researchers do not have one single working model for flow theory.
However, the following are five factors identified by Csikszentmihalyi and Nakumara
as vital for achieving a state of flow. #1: It needs to be a task that
you find intrinsically rewarding #2: You need clear goals and a sense of progress
#3: The task needs clear and immediate feedback #4: The challenge must match the
perceived skills. This requires a sense of personal control or agency over the task.
In 1987, Massimini, Csíkszentmihályi and Carli published the 8-channel model of flow shown
here. Note that if a task is too easy, you might experience apathy or boredom but
if a task seems too hard, you’ll be anxious. #5: Requires intense focus on the present moment What Does This Look Like in School? Tap into intrinsic motivation
Embrace student choice and agency. Provide the right scaffolding so that students can
match the challenge level to their ability levels. Minimize distractions so that students
can focus on their learning. Change the pacing so that you have fewer tasks and
more time. Here, students can enter into a state of what Cal Newport calls “deep work.”
Help students learn to monitor their own progress through metacognition. Teach them to set goals,
analyze tasks, figure out what they need to do, make adjustments in the moment, and
reflect on their progress in the end.
