Difference between Gifted Child and Creative Child

Gifted Child – Definition

Giftedness is referred to as “asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are much qualitatively different from the norm”. Gifted children have got aptitudes such as intellectual, socio-affective and sensory motor. These aptitude domains, whose development and level of expression are controlled by the individual genetics endowment. This can be observed in various tasks in which the child comes across on their process of schooling. This gifted ability largely applies when the ability level super cedes that of most of age peers.

Research has revealed that most of these aptitudes are able to entertain only null correlations with each other. Freeman argues that these gifts are easy to measure as intellectual aspects of development. Gifted students explicit exceptional ability in certain areas without explicit teaching.

Characteristics of a Gifted Child

• A gifted child exhibits longer attention span.
• Seems mature of age at times.
• Prefer older companions.
• Good problem solving abilities.
• Insatiable curiosity and persistence.
• Perceives abstract ideas, understands complex concepts.
• May question authority.
• Perfectionism.

Creative child – Definition

Creativity is defined as the ability to come up with something new and very adaptive within the constraints of a given situation hence this creative production needs to be original. These creative abilities tend to differ by depending on a field. Gardner proposes that people may be creative in various fields of intellectual domains and this nature of creative intelligence usually depends on the domain of activity. Creativity is perceived to be any form of high potential as considered by many scholars.

It is asserted that any high potential in any field of an activity usually depends majorly on three components: above general intellectual capacities as measured by traditional tests of intelligence, to engage in various tasks which relay factors such as eagerness, perseverance, interests, enthusiasm and be open to criticism and creativity which comprises fluency, originality of thought, curiosity, risk taking, openness to new experiences and aesthetic sensibility. Maker says that different types of problems emphasizes either on intelligence or creativity whereas problems that tend to involve creativity usually exhibit vague formulations hence they tend to require an invention for a solution to this problem hence most of this problems tend to have no single right answer.

Characteristics of a Creative Child

• Daydreams and may seem to be out of task at times.
• Prefers the company of creative peers but often loves to work alone.
• A creative child is original and keeps on developing.
• Initiates projects that will ever be completed.
• A creative child is very initiative.
• Have many ideas of which some of them will never be developed.
• Injects new possibilities.

Difference between gifted child from a creative one

1. Creative children often need time to work alone whereas gifted children whereas a gifted child is very intense.
2. Creative children often are not identified because of their typical behaviours which can be annoying and disruptive at times. Many of this creative children tend to get poor grades, refuse or forget to hand in work on time, argue with adults and fool around in class whereas a gifted child may not be motivated by grades but he is generally intellectual.
3. Creative thinking in a creative child can be improved by directly teaching skills and creative problem solving structure whereas in a gifted child only support is required to him/her. His/her gifts are difficult to improve.
4. Gifted children usually create complex, abstract humours while a creative child relishes wild, off the wall humour.

A gifted Child vs. a Creative Child

Summary

• Some of the authors think that creativeness is the highest form of giftedness.
• Different measures of creativity exists to identify creative potential and creative achievement in which if we use these techniques we can be able to differentiate the gifted children from creative ones.
• Pedagogical practice is much more important to improve creative potential or achievement in children.