Becoming A Brilliant Star
William G. Huitt, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology & Counseling
Valdosta State University
Becoming A Brilliant Star
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
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Need new
• Paradigm
• Vision
• Vocabulary
• Methods of facilitating development
• Assessment and evaluation techniques
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Fundamental concepts:
• Individual is complex, involving multiple components
• Context is complex and multi-layered
• Reciprocal determinism: relationship between individual and context is bi-directional
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Becoming A Brilliant Star
VisionDreams 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
The Brilliant Star Model
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Must use a variety of resources to develop knowledge base relating to methods
• Science• Religion• Philosophy• History• Arts
Becoming A Brilliant Star
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
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Adults must develop their own human capital
• Continue to develop potential in core elements and domains of the Brilliant Star model
Becoming A Brilliant Star
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
Becoming A Brilliant Star
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
Becoming A Brilliant Star
Must address multiple core elements and domains simultaneously
• Academic achievement and character
• Academic achievement and emotional development
• Academic achievement, emotional development, and character
Becoming A Brilliant Star
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
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
• Important values for school-aged children and youth http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/brilstar/valuesreport.html
• 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
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 Are
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.
Respectful
Lesson Plans– Pre-K and Kindergarten– Elementary– Middle Grades– High School and Adult
Resources
• Important values for school-aged children and youth http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/brilstar/valuesreport.html
• 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