Remembering Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi and His Flow Model

 

It is not often that I post these days, but a giant is honored by a Google Doodle that touched my heart, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. I use his Flow Model to guide how I teach, speak at conferences, design games, and in general, how I think about life. *grins*

The deep immersion and satisfying challenges that he described share defines how I feel about teaching in the Metaverse and about the happiness that I feel knowing that our work and research matters.

Using his model, educators provide quests or challenges for students challenges that slightly exceed their capabilities, but not the challenge is not so far advanced that students become worried or experience high anxiety. 

We share a love of the field and deep immersion in it, which is for me the secret to living a happy and joyful life.

Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi gave permission years ago for my doctoral students to use his Flow Model in their research, and he most graciously permitted the publication of it. I treasure the researchers who support student research and applaud their efforts.

I had not realized that he passed until I saw today's Google Doodle celebrating his birthday. 

His light burns brightly inside me. 

He will be missed.

Dr. C