Other Distinctive Features
of Consciousness-Based Schools
and Universities
Contributing to the Rapid Development
of the Student’s Full Potential
– “Homework” is done primarily during the academic day. Students do almost all their academic work in the presence of teachers, including “homework,” which is primarily done under the guidance of the teacher during the academic day. The collective focus of all students in a classroom on any assignment, in the presence of a teacher, produces more efficient, profound, and satisfying learning.
– Period of Transcendental Meditation after every two academic classes. After every two hours of academic classes, students have a 10- or 15-minute period of Transcendental Meditation, enabling them to assimilate the knowledge they are gaining at the deepest level of their awareness.
– Student summaries of each lesson. To enhance learning and retention, to develop the higher cognitive abilities of analysis and synthesis, to develop the ability of the students to express themselves clearly, and to help teachers evaluate the progress of each student, all students participate in an end-of-lesson summary activity.
– Review of the Day class. At the end of each academic day, students analyze, synthesize, integrate, and express what they have learned during the day according to specific formats. These summaries, like the student end-of-lesson summaries, become part of the students’ collected work, helping the teacher evaluate their progress.
– Review of the Week—Students create synthesizing charts. At the end of every week, the students review the main points from all their classes of the week; and create and present charts that synthesize what they heave learned.
– Enlightened Presentations Course. Students prepare and perform creative expressions of what they have learned during the month in light of the knowledge of consciousness, including original skits, poetry, music, art, scientific or mathematics demonstrations, etc.
– Students are introduced to the entire curriculum, in brief, during the Student Orientation week; and the entire course during the first day of each course. The academic year begins with an orientation program, during which students are given an overview on the full range of knowledge they will be learning in each of the courses of the academic year. Each course begins with a course overview, in which the teacher uses a chart to present the entire course in brief—the major themes, topics, and activities. Through this approach the students are given a comprehensive vision of the whole year or the whole course before focusing on the parts.
– Etiquette Course. In Consciousness-Based schools and universities students take a required etiquette course, learning how to most harmoniously, pleasingly, and effectively speak and behave, in accord with the traditions of their nation and universal principles of interacting with others in the most uplifting way.