Even though our course is only an overview of all the issues and ideas that surround the the concept of student engagement, I could not end the course without at least a look at the concepts of ZPD and FLOW. 

Zone of Proximal Development by Saul McLeod.  On this webpage you can learn about the importance of engaging students with work that is slightly above their ability level.  It is in this zone (with scaffolding and assistance from a knowledgable other) that the best learning occurs). 

What issues of engagement are inherent in aiming instruction toward the zone of proximal development (zpd)? Discuss this in our comment area for this task.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXIeFJCqsPs&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLC5DEBBA81A54E8C6

Csikszentmihalyi, researcher on happiness and author of the book Flow, shares with us some of his findings about the nature of "flow."  Flow is a state of being that people enter when they are properly challenged.  In flow, a person can lose sense of time because they are "lost" or really "fully engaged instrinsically" in a given activity.

How can we promote the experience of flow in our classrooms and learning environments? Discuss this in our comment area for this task.