The zone of flow: Notice that the flow zone (white area) depends on a delicate matching of our abilities and the challenge involved in a particular real-world task. If the task is too difficult or beyond our capacities, we land in the upper red area of the chart and become anxious. If the task is too easy, we land in the lower, gray area of the chart and become bored. Moreover, as our skills increase, the difficulty of the task must also increase to provide us with the sense of being in flow. Which theorist’s ideas about teaching and what stimulates mental growth does this model remind you of?

Data from: Csikszentmihalyi, 1990.