The Influence of Educational Psychology on Teaching Practices in Ecclesiastical Contexts
Society is facing a marked rise in psychosomatic conditions and in the number of neurodivergent individuals, and the life of the church is no exception. Belief in divine healing notwithstanding, certain diagnoses describe conditions that are in fact lifelong, such as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder).
This creates a need for deliberate development in how churches teach. Each individual with such a condition calls for a particular set of skills if teaching and learning are to be effective and to reach their full potential.
Beyond the teacher’s own training, however, there must also be support from professionals in educational psychology, both to ease the relationship between teacher and student and to widen the range of tools available for the demands of daily practice.
Educational psychology therefore has a great deal to contribute to the development of techniques and methods that equip teachers to offer instruction that is fruitful and genuinely inclusive. Its function is at once therapeutic and diagnostic, sustaining the connection between those who teach and those who learn.
The needs of neurodivergent members of church communities should not be neglected. As the number of people with a diagnosed condition or particular need continues to grow, the church is not exempt from its inclusive role in teaching and learning — and it stands to gain a great deal when its teachers work in partnership with professionals in educational psychology.
