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.