If we want students to be fully empowered to own the creative process, we need to understand what it means for students to reach a state of creative flow. The History of the Theory Although the idea of Flow has existed for thousands of years, Flow Theory began in the 1970’s and 80’s when Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi became fascinated by artists who were so lost in their creative work that they would lose track of time and even ignore food, water, and sleep. Through his research, he noticed a similar experience with scientists, athletes, and authors. It was a state of hyper-focus and complete engagement that he described as “optimal experience.”

Much has been written about “flow theory.” As Dr. Paul, Mr. Sands, and the high schoolers delve into questions of Quantum Biology and quantum coherence, new perspectives within the sciences might explain states of flow as relating to states of quantum coherence with the organism. Enjoy this short overview of ‘flow’ as it relates to student learning.