The magical sphere of cognitive flow is a place of
deep, intense learning. Those of us fortunate enough to have entered this
sphere can relate to that lightness of being, that near out of body experience
where existence, time and thought appear to be temporarily suspended, giving
way to unfettered, effortless, spontaneous experience – and learning.
As an artist and art teacher it’s not surprising that
I experience cognitive flow most intensely while painting or drawing, although
I also experience it while engaged in other creative, hands-on activities such
as cooking and sewing. For me, the starting point for
entering this place is that the activity is chosen by me. I’m pretty sure I
could never enter this state while solving math problems, or translating a
text, not only because these activities are too left brained oriented, and I’m
more of a right brained thinker, but also because math and translation are not
passions of mine. Inherent in getting here, is that the activity is one in
which I already have a foundation of experience and skill, and certainly a
strong passion or interest. Once engaged in my chosen activity for a period of
time, and if the conditions are right, I notice that the rest of the world
falls away, and with it all the thoughts, inhibitions and worries that come
with consciousness. The lightness of being experienced here can be compared to
being in a Zen or meditative state where one is fully and authentically concentrated
and immersed in a single activity. It is almost as though my paintbrush or pencil
is moving on its own. I can see my hand moving but I scarcely feel my mind
directing my hand.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says flow is an optimal place for learning to happen because it is intrinsically problem-based. See his TedTalk speech here. We problem-solve, think critically,
develop ideas and build knowledge of how things work, which techniques or
choices are successful and which are not. Learning is maximized in this sphere,
says Csikszentmihalyi,
because we are intrinsically empowered
and motivated, fully unfettered by time constraints, and feel we are part of
something larger and deeply meaningful. Essentially, we experience doing something
for its own sake. Learning therefore happens here because the process feels
effortless, intrinsically and purposefully connected to oneself, uninterrupted,
relaxed, efficient and meaningful. Csikszentmihalyi also says that cognitive flow is intrinsically motivating
because the responsibility to learn in
this state of flow lies with us alone, making us active agents in our learning
and motivating us to keep learning and moving higher in our learning. See the Edutopia article here. Motivated
by this experience, we build increasingly higher skills and continue to build
and developed deep understanding of our activity.
The education and game
developer James Paul Gee discusses this
phenomenon of motivation through flow when playing games, and highlights the
imperative of problem-solving as a key factor in reaching flow: gamers
are given a problem, they practice over and over, they learn the routine
knowledge and enter into flow, and are then given a new problem which encourage
them to continue to develop skills and solve problems. See his Youtube video here. Gee says that learning is
at its best when it is ‘pleasantly frustrating’ – in other words, when there is
a challenge, but you know that with concerted effort and problem solving, you
can reach your goals. The problem-solving element is that which motivates us to
keep going, and which ultimately envelopes us in this flow state.
It is
precisely these elements of challenge, solving problems, building skills,
seeing results, and feeling that you are achieving you goals while doing
something you love that bring us into a flow state. Painting for me is
precisely this. I have a long-term goal
and aspiration, yet there are dozens of obstacles along the way that require my
utmost attention, critical and creative thinking and problem solving skills.
These challenges, along with the development of skills and knowledge, keep me
hooked, while the awareness that I’m making progress and reaching my goals
motivates me to continue…until someone interrupts me and snaps me out of this
magical place.
Sources:
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 'Motivating People to Learn'. Retrieved July 1 from https://www.edutopia.org/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi-motivating-people-learn
James Paul Gee, 'Principles of Gaming'. Retrieved July 1 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aQAgAjTozk
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