becoming a brilliant star

Becoming A Brilliant Star

William G. Huitt, Ph.D.

Department of Psychology & Counseling

Valdosta State University


There is much discussion in education and psychology about the need to

But what exactly does that mean?

• “develop the whole child”

• prepare children and youth for adult success in the 21st century


Need new• Paradigm• Vision• Vocabulary• Methods of facilitating development• Assessment and evaluation

techniques


Fundamental concepts:

• Individual is complex, involving multiple components

• Context is complex and multi-layered

• Reciprocal determinism: relationship between individual and context is bi-directional


Vision Dreams and goals of what is possible and desirable to do

CompetenceThe knowledge, values, attitudes, and skills that link to successful adult performance

CharacterThe habits or patterns of moral behavior; using competencies for justice and caring for self and others

Focuses attention on three critical issues facing young people today

The Ecology of Human Development

The Brilliant Star Model


Must use a variety of resources to develop knowledge base relating to methods

• Science• Religion• Philosophy• History• Arts


Adults must develop social capital

• The connections and networks among individuals and social institutions that facilitate cooperative action

• Family, school, neighborhood, community connections especially important

• State, national, regional, global


Adults must develop their own human capital

• Continue to develop potential in core elements and domains of the Brilliant Star model


Adults must help children and youth develop their human capital

• No single individual or institution is totally responsible for holistic development of the next generation

• Every institution must accept some responsibility


W.Y.M.I.W.Y.GWhat You Measure Is What You Get

• Any construct or domain that is not consistently attended to through assessment, measurement and evaluation will decline rather than develop


Must address multiple core elements and domains simultaneously

• Academic achievement and character

• Academic achievement and emotional development

• Academic achievement, emotional development, and character


Must also address connecting children and youth to social capital

• Parents have expectations for academic achievement

• Friends have influence on vision and choices

• Community provides opportunities for providing service

• Historical exemplars http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/ brilstar/brilsexm.html

• Philosophy of education: Recommended readings

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/ brilstar/brilsphl.html

Resources

Resources

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/ brilstar/chapters.html

• Becoming a Brilliant Star: An introduction• Moral and character development• Spiritual development• Physical development• Information processing and memory• Cognitive development and constructivism• Affective development• Racial equity

Resources

To be developed• Assessment and evaluation (focusing on formative/process

evaluation)• Personal style (temperament, personality, learning style)• Conative/volitional development• Family development• Friends and social development• Career development• Finances and wealth• Sociocultural issues

Gender equity Sustainable economic development Conflict resolution and establishing a climate of peace

Talk does not cook rice. Chinese Proverb


Becoming A Brilliant Star"Thought for the Day" Activity

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/brilstar/quotes/BrilStarThought.html

Huitt, W. (1998). Becoming a Brilliant Star:Knowledge from the major world religions

Huitt, W. (2001). Becoming a Brilliant Star: Quotations from cultural/historical sources.

Resources

• Important values for school-aged children and youth http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/brilstar/valuesreport.html

Preservice and inservice teachers ranked this number 1;

parents ranked it number 4.

Drug-free

Respectful, Respect rights of others,

Respect-self, Respect and accept authority

With few exceptionsterms consistently

ranked in the top 10 for all groups

Honest, Truthful, Trustworthy

Terms consistently ranked in top 10 for all groups; trustworthy

ranked #1 by parents.

Rule-following Ranked in the top 10 by 3 of the 4 groups

Responsible Ranked in the top 10 by 3 of the 4 groups

Resources

Resources


• Character education: Lesson plans http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/brilstar/Character/ chared_index.html

Character Education

http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/brilstar/Character/chared_index.html

Character Is Who You Are


I look inside myself to seeWhat kind of person I want to be.I think and feel and choose and do the best that I

can.In the dark or in the light,It deals with doing the wrong and the right.I’ve got to know and do the right to be the best

me.


Character is who you areViewed from within or from afar.It’s the person you become and who you

want to be.It’s what you practice everyday.It’s what you do not just what you say.To be a Brilliant Star, remember character

is who you are.

Respectful

Definition To have respect or to be respectful means to

show regard for or to have an appreciation of something. Specific examples of respect could be to one's self and one's own rights, others, authority, or the Creator.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=respect

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=respectful

Respectful

Lesson Plans– Pre-K and Kindergarten– Elementary– Middle Grades– High School and Adult

Resources


• Character education: Lesson plans http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/brilstar/Character/ chared_index.html

• The Character Through The Arts Project http://www.characterthroughthearts.org/main.html

Character Through The Arts

The Brilliant Star Model

becoming a brilliant star

Documents