While not all boys learn in the exact same ways, they tend to have more trouble than girls listening to material passively for long durations. Tom Schutte, a teacher at the all-boys O'Dea High School in Seattle, says you should not lecture for more than 13 minutes at a time if you want to hold the boys' attention. Schutte recommends that you engage all of their senses to keep them curious about the material and excited to learn more. Boys schools can incorporate a more active classroom for the boys' learning needs and not have to worry about isolating girls in the class.
Boys at school can be very distracted by girls in class. They are often concerned with impressing the girls and afraid of making mistakes in front of them. That is why boys are more likely to take risks at an all-boys school, according to Frank Lazarek, the assistant principal of O'Dea High School. He claims that boys feel stress with girls in the class, explaining that, "Cortisol, the stress hormone, goes up and learning goes down for many boys in co-ed schools."
Boys schools employ male teachers who understand the learning needs of boys. There are far more female teachers in co-ed schools than male teachers, and many of the female teachers are not trained in the special learning needs of their male students.
Rather than assigning the same material for every student, boys schools give students the opportunity to choose material that interests them personally. They can read about fantasy, sports or any other subject they like as long as they fulfill the reading requirements of the course. Boys schools also employ more physical learning activities in classes like math and science between reading and writing sessions to help them let out physical energy while learning.