Blog Post   Due 8^th

Flow Experience – A Completely Engaged Life with Happiness

The notion of “flow”, as described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, is a state of heightened focus and immersion in activities that one truly loves and enjoys.  When one is fully engaged in something that one is doing, one’s mind is completely concentrated and hardly being distracted.  The state of flow should happen when one has a genuine love and enthusiasm and is willing to devote his/her time and energy towards something.  As Csikszentmihalyi explains, to have a “flow experience”, one should not only completely be involved in what he/she is doing, but should have a sense of ecstasy, great inner clarity, a sense of serenity, timelessness and intrinsic motivation.  When one is experiencing “flow”, one is no longer feel his/her own existence and time is no longer sensitive anymore.

Relating to my short-practicum experience, I do recognize the importance of this “flow experience”.  At the beginning of my first teaching, I felt nervous and tried to deliver whatever I prepared for the lesson. However, as everything went on the right track, my nervousness has disappeared and I started engaging in interacting with my students. While helping my students during seated practice time, I didn’t think about my lesson plan anymore. I just fully immersed myself in a state of “flow” which I could only think of how to explain to my students the mathematical concept so that they can truly understand it.  I believe that was the moment where I found happiness in math through teaching.