Go with the Flow: How to Engage Students in Learning
(Part 2)

Written by Dr. Jenny Nash, Head of Education Impact, US for LEGO^® Education

Hands-on learning is the best way to engage students in learning, but why is it so effective? The answer lies in how we design learning.

In part one of the series on engagement, we unpacked what engagement means and defined it as a student's genuine and self-motivated interest and active participation in the learning process. Here in part two, we will explore student engagement further with a focus on flow theory in education. To find engagement with students, we need to consider meeting them where they are in terms of their knowledge, skills, and past experiences to design learning that meets all learners' needs.

Let’s first see what an engaged class is like:

Engagement also impacts student outcomes, academic success, and knowledge retention. In fact, this same report found that over half of US teachers think their students only grasp the curriculum at a surface level, suggesting students are not retaining or effectively applying the concepts being taught.

Understanding Flow Theory in Education

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work talks about optimal experiences in life that can lead to happiness and innovation as well as a stronger connection to learning. In a TED Talk, he shared how his research began by looking “at creative people -- first artists and scientists, and so forth -- trying to understand what made them feel that it was worth essentially spending their life doing things for which many of them didn't expect either fame or fortune, but which made their life meaningful and worth doing.” According to his research, the secret to this happiness is being in flow.

The concept of flow can apply to anything, from poetry and business to science and even learning. It is the balance between the knowledge and skills needed and the level of challenge given that determines whether you’re in flow. In other words, flow is the space between anxiety and boredom, as shown in the following diagram of Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow.

Now think about a classroom. If a student has a high level of skills, but you present them with a low level of challenge, then the student is likely to be bored because the experience will be too easy for them. The student is likely to finish quickly, which can lead to behavioral issues. On the other hand, if the student has low skills and the challenge is too high, they are likely to become overwhelmed and shut down. Students that are bored or overwhelmed are less likely to find success and joy in their learning.

Instead, imagine a classroom where students are disappointed when the bell rings or often ask for more time to continue working. You might describe them as in the zone. These are students that are in flow. Being in flow during learning means the students are fully immersed in what they are doing and feel challenged by the learning, but not to the point of feeling anxious. In fact, teachers who describe their students as “engaged” are almost twice as likely to say their students enjoy learning and are self-motivated.

Finding the place where students can be in flow during learning leads to engagement.

Designing Learning for Student Engagement

Playful learning is the ideal approach for students to drive their own learning and find their state of flow. By designing experiences that allow students to be interactive and hands-on, we naturally create experiences for students based on the right level of challenge to get them into flow. It’s likely a big part of why 89% of students say interactive experiences are one of their favorite ways to learn.

Classroom teachers know how diverse classes can be - often with a wide range of knowledge, skills, and past experiences. You may be wondering how to keep all students engaged. When designing learning to bring flow and engagement to your classroom:

1. Consider ways to evaluate where students are currently. This could take the form of pre-assessment or observations to identify the existing knowledge and skills to build from and what might be the right level of challenge to give students. It can help determine the pace at which you teach students new concepts so as not to overwhelm them.
2. Create a safe place for students to recognize when they are out of flow. It is important to work with students to recognize when they are feeling overwhelmed in learning (or bored). During a project, this could happen if a student runs into a failure and isn’t sure what to do next. Be ready to guide the learning and help students see how to use that failure to iterate on their work.
3. Create an environment where students can stay in flow by considering where students are in their learning. The challenge is designing learning for all the students in the classroom recognizing that students will likely be in different places. Consider what an appropriate level of challenge is for each student. Then create hands-on experiences that will allow for students to find their own successes.

Check out part 3 in the engagement series as we explore teacher engagement and the need for professional learning or go back and read Part 1: Unpacking the Power of Engagement.

About the Author

Dr. Jenny Nash serves as Head of Education Impact, U.S. for LEGO^® Education, where she provides leadership in delivering meaningful learning experiences for students. As an advocate for playful hands-on learning, she is focused on instilling confidence in learning in students and teachers to build academic and 21st-century skills that will create active, collaborative, lifelong learners. She has worked in various levels of education, including as a middle and high school science teacher, professional development provider, and educational specialist.

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