As children spend much of their time in schools, it’s fundamental that the school environment is one that promotes and encourages growth and learning. In order for schools and therefore children to be successful, it’s important to instill various methods involved in supporting motivation to learn and thrive.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a positive psychologist who developed a theory of how individuals become engrossed in learning and achievement known as “flow theory.” He defines the concept of “flow” as when one is completely engrossed in the process of an activity with no distractions which results in a feeling of euphoria, a temporary loss of temporal sense, greater outcomes, and general satisfaction with life. Those who find themselves experiencing “flow” will be intrinsically motivated to continue, feel in control over the situation and challenge, and will feel confident in their abilities without any self-doubt. Students who experience “flow” will lead to better quality learning and higher motivation for future learning.
In today’s modern age of digital devices, multitasking is central for everyone. It’s very difficult for someone to completely focus on one task without any distractions and interruptions from phones, computers, and social media. However, for “flow” to occur, it’s important that one be completely free of distraction and concentrated only on the target task. The interruptions cause a dramatic loss of focus, lowered productivity, and less successful outcomes. For example, an athlete would probably not win if they were busy reading text messages during a big game. These same implications exist for any activities, even professional ones. Schools must be aware of the dangers of students and teachers losing focus on tasks given in class, even if the tasks happen to be engaging and of interest to the students. There are various methods of keeping focus, the most obvious of removal of external distractions (smartphones). Another method is to include focus exercise tasks in the curriculum, such as meditation sessions or walks/jogs, to keep students mindful and their attention engaged.
