Of course, all this preparation will do you no good if you don't put your own powers of cognition into play. Learn to recognize the signs of cognitive impairment and foster an awareness of the challenges faced by students with these deficits. In doing so, you become a more sensitive and intuitive teacher. Keep in mind, however, that it is never safe to assume that a student is or is not cognitively impaired, for this disability is not necessarily easy to spot. If the student is not learning, you must simply adapt your teaching strategies until you find a successful approach.
Good teachers attempt to discover the best route into the student's consciousness.
Donna K. Cooperman has a doctor of arts degree in communication disorders and is an associate professor of speech-language pathology at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. She is a certified Level II alpine and adaptive instructor at New York's Ski Windham. References Abraham, Horst. 1983. Allyn and Bacon.