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Transcendental Meditation in the classroom promoted
Transcendental meditation may bring a new school of thought to New Zealand education.
An American educator has told his Kiwi counterparts that a daily dose of transcendental meditation (TM) can be a positive lesson in ensuring peace rules in the classroom and the playground.
In a move towards consciousness-based education, Ashley Deans, the director of the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, Iowa, advocates awakening the brain.
Deans, who addressed an educators’ conference in Christchurch last night, believes there is plenty of space for some TM among the three Rs as part of education for enlightenment. Deans, who is a guest of the Stress-free Schools group, outlined the benefits of two 10-minute daily sessions of TM in schools. He said the technique created “stressless schools” where learning was boosted and violence and aggression disappeared.
- Is TM a religion?
He said research over the past 35 years showed that TM encouraged creativity, intelligence and academic performance. Research had also shown the benefits of TM to children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Deans said schools in the United States that had adopted the practice had reported the same leap in students’ academic performance and a reduction in violent and aggressive behaviour. A former principal of Mount Albert Grammar in Auckland, Greg Taylor, was in no doubt about the positive effects of a twice daily zone-out.
Taylor, who has just retired, planned to introduce voluntary TM sessions at the school. “What could be wrong with something that refreshes the mind, relieves stress and makes students more receptive to learning,” Taylor said.
“We certainly need to make schools calmer, more focused places and anything we can do to change current school environments is important.”
Ministry of Education spokesman Vince Cholewa said New Zealand was unique in allowing boards of trustees to run their schools, and if they decided to introduce TM it would be their decision.
“If a board wished to include TM and consulted the parents, it would not be an issue as long the school was meeting curriculum requirements,” Cholewa said.
Canterbury Primary Principals Association president Lex Telfer said the principle of TM was good, but the impracticality of everyone stopping twice a day to meditate meant schools would be unlikely to take it on.
Linwood College principal Rob Burrough was wary because of TM’s potential to cause controversy in Christian circles.
“It would be like walking into a minefield,” he said.
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