Let it Flow...

While I hadn’t known about the concept of flow before, watching the video made me realize that I’ve experienced it more times than I could count, especially with math. It brought back memories of working through proofs. I used to hate proofs—and to be honest, part of me still does—but the only times I managed to work through them were when I entered a state of deep focus. In those moments, ideas would start to connect and flow one after the other. Proofs began to feel less daunting and more like puzzles and, at the end, they were always satisfying to solve and made the process worth it.

 

In secondary math classes, I believe we can create these moments of flow for students. They can reach a deeper level of engagement when they face problems that balance challenge and skill and require them to push beyond their usual efforts. This method worked well for me, so I would specifically use it when teaching proofs, helping students practice reaching that focused state where things start to open up. I would encourage students to immerse themselves fully, allowing them to experience that shift where math becomes not just a subject but a meaningful challenge they can overcome.

 

One thing I realized after learning about the concept of flow while having, for years, used this process unknowingly was how important it is to be able to recognize, identify, and call on this process. Projecting mainly off of myself, but a student who learns this ability will now have an additional tool to practice when they get stuck. I can only imagine how many other types of thinking and processes there are that we all practice unknowingly. Gaining an awareness of those would truly enhance our intellectual abilities.

 I asked AI to create a flow-chart to summarize my post on flow.