Flow is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.
- Wikipedia
I am sure you have seen how young children totally absorbed when they are playing. They become almost indifferent to what goes on around them. Their being in this state is because they are in a state of flow. What is important about being in this state of flow, is that young children get absorbed in their learning.
To be in a state of flow is characterized by what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (originally Mihály Csíkszentmihály), the “Father of Flow”, described as:
“…being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”
I long wondered why learning in schools is seldom done in such a state. Where learning is often associated with drudgery and pain even, in comparison if a person is allowed to learn in a state of flow, he will be doing it with a “feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.”
With “energized focus”, the student will be giving his best to the learning. He will not be lethargic or be waiting to be spoon-fed or told what to do. He will show initiative or pro-activity and take responsibility for his own learning which implies a complete involvement in his own learning, rather than the detached soulless learning that often takes place in school.
Most of all because of this vigor from within, he will experience success in his learning. Whatever, results he gets is a success in the form of feedback for him to continue to learn from his experience. he will not feel like a failure. With failure a “non-word”, learning becomes pleasureable and continuous. Life-long learning, the “new” holy grail of learning, I believe will only take place if people are allowed to be in this state of flow.
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