When I think about "Flow" , I think about the activities I am good at and want to keep doing. Students are the same way. When they are good at something and shine while doing it, they want to keep doing it. Competence plays a large role in flow. If a person fails at skiing they may not want to try it again for fear of failing a second time, or embarrassment. It is easy to flow when you are the student that gets every question right in math class. When you are the kid in the back of the room dreading to be picked on, flow just isn't there.
As educators we have to provide flow for our students but at the same time let them fall a few times. When we let them fall, we can teach them how to stand back up and try again. Falling is a good lesson for them to learn. When they fall and we teach them to get up...they will get up and try harder the next time. This is what education is all about. Teaching students to think critically, and find their interests. They use those interests to tie in with other subjects.
We have to provide flow for that child in the back of the room. This can be done through differentiated instruction. Differentiated instruction will be a great tool for students to find "their way to flow".
