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Reprints From The Professional Skier

Spring 1998 - "Put Thought into Teaching Students with Cognitive Impairments" by Donna K. Cooperman

This article is reprinted from The Professional Skier. All copyrights apply. Please see our copyright and disclaimer notice page.

You have been assigned to give a private ski lesson to Jack, a 43 year-old man who has never been on skis. As he shakes your hand, Jack mentions that he watches ski racing on TV and has many friends who rave about their ski weekends. He says he is really looking forward to his first ski lesson.

Jack seems no different from most of the other adults you have taught, and you proceed to explain and then demonstrate what you want him to do. But he just doesn't get it. No matter what you say, his body doesn't respond, his movements remain awkward, and it is obvious that he is not learning. Yet he doesn't seem to have any apparent physical or mental impairments.

So what's the problem? Jack is most likely suffering from a subtle form of cognitive deficit, which could have any number of causes. He could be dyslexic or have a mild form of autism. He may have a brain tumor. He might even be a heavy drinker who has lost some degree of brain function due to the cumulative effects of alcohol. Jack may not even realize that he has a cognitive deficit, but his unsuccessful attempts to follow your teaching may lead you to suspect a cognitive impairment.

Thinking Cap

Cognition is the ability to think and solve problems (Hallahan and Kaufman 1997). It involves such skills as remembering, understanding language, handling abstract concepts, following multi-step instructions, and exercising prudent judgment. Cognition is one aspect of what we call "basic intelligence"; it is the mental process that allows us to learn new skills. Some people associate cognitive deficits with mental retardation. Although mentally retarded individuals are always cognitively impaired, not all cognitively impaired individuals are mentally retarded. Many may have normal intelligence, but a cognitive impairment may make it difficult to learn new motor patterns.

Cognitive disability can be considered one of the "hidden impairments," one that is not easily recognizable at first glance. The student may appear "normal" in every way, but may have difficulty performing the tasks you have presented with great success to scores of other students. This may be because the student has short-term memory problems, or because he or she cannot translate your words or imitate your movement patterns as a result of an impaired ability to conceptualize. The student may encounter difficulty because your style of presentation is too abstract, too removed from his or her frame of reference. Perhaps the student just doesn't understand the words or ideas you are using, or a disorganized way of thinking prevents him or her from planning motor movements in sequence. The problem could be as simple as an inability to grasp more than one instruction at a time.

Regardless of the reason, the reality is that because of this cognitive dysfunction, your student may be unhappy and feel unsuccessful in the lesson unless you recognize the cognitive obstacle and take measures to overcome it.

Who May Have It

Children and adults can experience cognitive deficits. The most typical disorders associated with cognitive impairments in children include mental retardation, autism, learning disabilities, and in some cases, cerebral palsy.

Adults with cognitive impairments may have epilepsy or other forms of seizure disorder, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, a brain tumor, or Alzheimer's disease. Autism, dyslexia, and fetal alcohol syndrome can also play a role, as can attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder. Cognitively impaired adults may have suffered a stroke or a closed head injury (traumatic brain injury) or, as alluded to before, may be suffering from a loss of brain function due to chemical interactions (drugs and/or alcohol).

Whatever the cause, the student will have certain weaknesses that may impair his or her ability to learn to ski. Areas with a disabled ski program generally enroll these students in lessons taught by adaptive instructors who are specially trained to handle cognitive impairments. However, because not every cognitively impaired individual considers him- or herself in need of adaptive instruction--like Jack, for instance--he or she may book a lesson through the regular ski school.

Reach Out To Teach

As you prepare to teach a cognitively impaired skier like Jack, you must consider the factors that interfere with his ability to learn and then adjust your teaching accordingly. Certainly the memory and problem-solving issues are the most significant concerns. Another issue may be Jack's inability to see the relationship between the tasks you introduce and his eventual trip down the hill.

In attempting to reach Jack--or any student for that matter--you should evaluate which teaching style best serves his learning style. Having found little success with the auditory and visual modes of teaching (i.e., descriptions and demonstrations), you might move to the kinesthetic teaching option and find that it is the most successful of the three because it relies upon the feelings and sensations of skiing rather than words. But even kinesthetic teaching may be an insufficient approach for the cognitively impaired skier. You must pair your kinesthetic teaching approach with some fundamental principles of effective communication.

Without question, good teaching requires you to use all the tools and skills available. It means being aware of individual learning styles and considering each student's physical and emotional strengths and limitations. It means being an effective communicator and all that this implies.

Communication Links

Human communication is a complex process by which people send and receive messages using words, vocal inflection, and body language. Simple messages can be misspoken by the best speakers and misinterpreted by the best listeners. Imagine how much more tenuous the process becomes when the words and movements are technical and the listeners and learners are impaired.

When communicating with students who are cognitively impaired, keep in mind that they are more similar to unimpaired students than dissimilar. There is no stereotypical person with a cognitive deficit. Just as other students are all very different from each other, so are students with cognitive impairments. They will benefit from the same conscientious attention to quality instruction as other students do. A skillful and well-prepared ski instructor demonstrates

athorough knowledge of the subject (technical knowledge),
aan ability to evaluate the listening and learning strategies of the student,
asensitivity to the student's motivational needs,
aan ability to use both social and technical teaching skills to establish a partnership and translate knowledge,
aan ability to assess the student's goals and mesh them with his or her own agenda, and
aan ability to vary communication based upon the student's responses or level of communicative competence.

Keys To Successful Lessons

The above qualities are necessary for teaching any student to ski, but they are especially vital when teaching cognitively impaired individuals. In addition to these qualities, you should consider the following general strategies when teaching a cognitively impaired individual.

Assure Success, And Remember That Failure Promotes Disinterest.

For cognitively impaired individuals, failure is a constant companion. Like most people, their self-esteem suffers when they fail to accomplish their goals. Find ways to communicate clearly and precisely without using too many words, and break the learning into small, discrete, identifiable steps that your students can manage and master. Also be sure to teach with a hands-on, tactile kinesthetic approach. Tactile-kinesthetic teaching involves placing the student in a situation that allows him or her to feel the correct movement pattern without the need for verbal explanation. You might, for example, hold the student's knees or ski tips in the desired position as you ski backwards in front of him or her. Of course, you must always ask your student's permission before using the "touch system." While some may welcome this approach, others do not wish to be touched.

Don't Forget The Fun.

Too often we teach with an intensity that suggests skiing is work rather than play. Although we may think of ski teaching as our job, to our students skiing is play. Learning to ski should be relaxing and pleasurable. For people with cognitive deficits, so much of what they do in life feels like work. If skiing is just another difficult task, you will lose them before the lesson even begins.

Use Reinforcement Liberally.

Everyone performs better when they feel successful, so communicate your positive feelings! Many people with cognitive impairments are unfamiliar with feelings of success. They may not recognize success when they achieve it. Your job is to let them know that they are doing what you are teaching them to do.

Set Realistic Goals.

Be aware of and sensitive to the limitations inherent in cognitive impairments. Students who have cognitive deficits may require shorter, more frequent lessons or lessons that include many breaks that allow them to rest and process information. It is better to teach one skill well than to introduce all the skills in one lesson period.

Consider Learning Styles.

Many cognitively impaired individuals learn best when their visual-motor skills are stimulated without verbal communication. Cognitive deficits often necessitate hands-on teaching, more physical adjustments of stance and body positioning, more guided discovery, and less command teaching. Do less telling and more showing. You'll also want to use the terrain to teach a next step rather than rely on the student's ability to understand the "why." For instance, move from flat terrain to a run with a slight pitch and runout zone to safely introduce the concept of the fall line.

Plan For Progression.

Although planning for progression will benefit any ski lesson you teach, it is especially important to use this strategy when addressing the learning needs of cognitively impaired skiers. Skills to be taught must be analyzed to determine which task or sequence of tasks will most effectively elicit the desired movements. In this way, you can present easier, more fundamental tasks first and build upon them in subsequent lessons.

Identify Interfering Behaviors.

You must "read" your students' means of communication and determine which of their behaviors are interfering with their ability to learn the skills you are presenting. Then you should deal with their behaviors to penetrate this wall of interference. For example, negative thinking is a distinct barrier to learning. Because students with cognitive difficulties are inclined to question their own abilities, you should watch for this tendency and take action-such as providing lots of positive feedback-to counteract its damage.

Encourage Repetition, Repetition, And More Repetition.

Students learn best when they're given ample opportunity to practice new skills. Don't rush to teach a next step so the students will "get their money's worth." It is wise to practice new skills over and over under varying conditions and in a variety of contexts. The cognitively impaired skier will need more repetition of simple tasks than your other students, due in part to complications related to short-term memory problems, poor problem-solving skills, and an impaired ability to conceptualize.

Keep Explanations To A Minimum.

An instructor who talks too much often confuses unimpaired individuals, so imagine what this does to students who have difficulty understanding verbal language. As previously mentioned, cognitively impaired individuals usually are not auditory learners.

Build Upon The Student's Strengths.

Once a skill has been learned and mastered, it becomes a building block, a framework for adding new information. Use what you have learned about your student's skills to teach new information. Aim for accuracy of movements rather than speed. Learning is a slow process; be patient.

Use Current Technology To Enhance Student Performance.

New ski and boot technology has simplified the process of learning to ski because equipment innovations-especially shaped skis-make it easier to turn. Try to encourage your cognitively impaired students to invest in the rental (or purchase) of state-of-the-art equipment that will facilitate learning.

Summary

By now, you may be thinking, "I already do these things! " If that's the case, you have realized that teaching the cognitively impaired skier is much like teaching anyone else: You need to be creative and comprehensive, you need to individualize your teaching to the learning style of the student, and you need to be an effective communicator.

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. The route to the consciousness of a cognitively impaired student may take you through more turns and twists than you're used to, and the trip might take longer, but one thing is certain: it will be a worthwhile journey.

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. Skiing Right. Boulder, Colo.: Johnson Books.

Hallahan, Daniel P., and James M. Kauffman.. 1997. Exceptional Learners. 7th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.