4. SCHOOLS FOR BOYS TEACH IN WAYS THAT BOYS LEARN BEST. Each faculty member in an all-boys school has made a conscious choice to teach boys. They enjoy boys’ irreverent humor and draw energy from their natural exuberance. Their passion to teach boys requires a commitment to build relationships, craft a curriculum, and lead a classroom that engages each student in the way he learns best. As specialists in boys’ education, teachers take into consideration the interests and talents unique to boys when they prepare each lesson. Because they know boys often prefer to work cooperatively, faculty can use teams effectively in project-based assignments. And because they understand the rhythm of a boys’ classroom, they can plan physical activity into class time and extended breaks like recess into the school day. Classrooms filled with boys are rarely quiet. Research conducted at boys’ schools has demonstrated the importance of action and accomplishment in teaching young men and boys. Educational researchers Michael Reichert and Richard Hawley have found that successful lessons often introduce a memorable element — a novelty, kinetic activity, game, or role play — that facilitates the intended learning outcome. Learning swordplay can make the text of Romeo and Juliet more interesting and approachable. The work of educator Adam Cox stresses that boys need to know why something is important in order for it to have significance for them. “Boys,” he says, “thrive on purposeful work” and “relish real-time achievement,” when they are assigned tasks that give their school experience personal meaning.
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