ABSTRACT
Events outside of the classroom can affect how an individual student behaves during the day. Problems at home with family or with another student on the way to school can set a scene where a student is disturbed or distracted for the rest of the day. Teachers should be able to recognise the signs displayed by individual students and be emotionally prepared to engage with and motivate them. This needs careful planning, well-practised skills and good strategic thinking. Teachers also need to manage their own emotions carefully in order to stay on top of these situations and be of real help to the students concerned. Few successful teachers begin a lesson without a lesson plan. A lesson plan enables them to ensure that learning styles are catered for and the work is differentiated, recognising the needs of individual students. This same planned approach is also applied to proactive behaviour management.
