Lesson 6: Flow
Contrary to what most of us believe, happiness does not simply happen to us. It's something that we make happen..."
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
I gotta get happy. I wanna stick around.
I wanna make it alright.
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
flow in Five: what is flow and how can awareness of it help the educator?
- When was the last time you felt, 'In the Zone'?
- What were you doing?
- What did it feel like?
- Watch the video and consider how might this 'flow state' be of value to the educator?
Being 'in the zone'
- Attention is focused on a limited stimulus field.There is full concentration, complete involvement
- Action and awareness merge
- There is freedom from worry about failure
- Self-consciousness disappears
- The sense of time becomes distorted
- The experience become its own reward -auto-telic.
(Csikszentmihalyi, 2006)
Recognise this..?
Conditions that encourage flow...
- There are clear goals every step of the way.
- There is immediate feedback to one's action.
- There is a balance between challenges and skills.
(Csikszentmihalyi, 2006)
We can learn how to access the flow state, and when we do so learning becomes more attractive and enjoyable
(Claxton, 2001)
Tom cruise mind hat and the transfiguration of paramount reality
TRY THIS at home
- Over-learning
- Ritual, costumes, identity; something that defies 'paramount reality' e.g. All blacks and Mardi Gras Indians
- Use of games; challenge skills to meet aims NB: intrinsic not extrinsic (see Vygotsky)
- Aleatoric games and activities (element of chance)
- Mimicry and role play
- Sense of discovery and providing 'Optimal Experiences'
- Growth of self and expansion of our vistas of understanding
- BTEC/practical: allocate time for students to suggest own intrinsic goals as a way of meeting coursework targets i.e. how would you like to achieve this criteria? Goal Mapping
- Regular self assessment; colour-coded tasks that promote reflection on where the student is on the flow 'wheel'
- Contextualise the task in meaning (see Gardener "Good Work'); social responsibility, personal achievement/LTG, useful product (Weebly!)