Csikszentmihalyi (1990) described learning as
the intrinsic reward of hard work that is essential
to successful human development. In order
to prepare students for adult success, education
should help them to seek out challenging and
engaging activities that set them on the path
to mastery. When this is achieved, students experience
what Csikszentmihalyi calls flow. The
flow state is so enjoyable that people will seek
it out and persist at tasks with powerful intrinsic
motivation. In order to create flow, learning
must be relevant and supported by adults who
build on students' strengths to decrease their
anxiety, rather than focus on their weaknesses.
Students need to have the opportunities to take
on long-term or higher-order goals (or purposes)
that, to them, are worthy of pursuit. Second,
they need a supportive and rigorous learning
environment to help them pursue these goals.