Date/Time: November 5, 2026 | 9:00 – 10:30 am

Room: TAHOMA 3

Abstract: Futurists have always looked “beyond the mountains” to new ideas, imagining the world as it could be. However, to create an ideal future, you have to somehow disrupt the status quo by questioning what is working and what needs to evolve. A child currently in the early years of learning will not enter the independent world until the early 2040s. What will that world be like? What can we do now to evolve? How can we prepare the incoming generation so they will be successful and happy in this “future” to come? Our children and grandchildren will build the economy of the future. These are the goals that will help us to formulate a new human calculus for teaching and learning.

In my presentation on “Going with the Flow,” I will discuss the theories of Mihaly Robert Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian-American psychologist who developed the psychological concept of “Flow,” a highly focused mental state conducive to teaching and learning. The state of “Flow” is an optimal level of consciousness and deep engagement that leads to happiness while doing activities that stretch our skills and help us grow and fulfill our potential. In this state, people, especially children, are completely absorbed in an activity, especially one that involves their creative abilities. We have learned over more than 20 years of designing and building groundbreaking schools worldwide that many considerations are involved in creating a school environment that fosters this state in students and teachers.

In this presentation, I will introduce Csikszentmihalyi’s “9 Dimensions of Flow,” which include a balance of challenge and skill, clear goals, immediate feedback, the integration of action and awareness, intense concentration, a sense of control, a loss of self-consciousness, a transformation of time, and an autotelic (intrinsically rewarding) experience. Every aspect of a school’s design must be carefully considered to achieve this goal. The resulting school environments significantly depart from traditional models by moving beyond standard programming to embrace student-centered collaborative learning, creative problem-solving, and exploration. To create this type of learning environment, we will explore the concepts of wellness and well-being, the intentional use of color and texture, the importance of modulated lighting levels, natural light, the acoustical qualities of learning spaces, filtered and tempered air, and, of course, the design of architectural space that goes beyond function to inspire and delight students and teachers.

This presentation will include four case studies that we will use as references in an interactive workshop, where participants will work in groups of 6-8 each to develop a checklist of deeper design and programmatic considerations that could support the desired state of Flow in the schools now emerging in this century.

Case Study Schools: The Play Lab at Fisher Price, East Aurora, NY – Ages 2-52. Collegi Monserrat Early Education Center, Barcelona, Spain – ages 3-53. Garden City Elementary School, Cranston, RI – Grades K-54. The STEAM Center at Horace Greeley High School, Chappaqua, NY – Grades 9-12.

Learning Objectives:

1. Behavioral Psychology – Discuss the theories of Mihaly Robert Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian-American psychologist who developed the psychological concept of “Flow.” My presentation will show how this connects directly to our new school design goals.
2. Design and Programming Goals – Connect the concept of the “Flow” State to the Wellness and Well-being of students and teachers, and how these notions are now critical for the types of schools we must begin designing.
3. Identification of Critical Design Elements – Identify the importance of the intentional use of color and texture, modulated lighting levels, natural light, the acoustical qualities of learning spaces, filtered and tempered air, and the design of architectural space that goes beyond function to inspire and delight students and teachers.
4. Pedagogy – Identifying the key design elements needed to support student-centered collaborative learning, creative problem-solving, and exploratory learning. We will explore strategies for student empowerment and how teachers can model 21st-century skills.