Educational Psychology—Limitations and Possibilities

942 The Praeger Handbook of Education and Psychology
games that can be played in the confines of an urban neighborhood; who build vehicles out of
abandoned car and bicycle parts; who write their own music and choreograph their own dances;
who write brilliant “spoken word” poetry; who have collected junk from the neighborhood, fixed it
up, and sold it at garage sales; and who have used paint found in the bottom of discarded paint cans
to produce sophisticated portraits of themselves and their communities. Critical psychologists
and educators recognize the genius of such children early in their school experience. Assuring
them of their abilities and engaging them in activities designed to utilize such talents, democratic
teachers create situations for these kids that replace their need to employ their talents in illegal,
dangerous, and socially damaging activities. The understanding of the politics of cognition that
informs such teaching strategies helps rethink educational psychology in ways that profoundly
change individual lives.