Boy's schools are the perfect place to teach young men to express their emotions and involve them in activities such as art dance and music. Far from the traditional image of a culture of aggressive masculinity  , the absence of girls gives boys the chance to develop without pressure to agree with a stereotype, a US study says. Boys at single-sex schools were said to be more likely to get involved in cultural and artistic activities that helped develop their emotional expressiveness, rather than feeling they had to agree with the "boy code"of hiding their emotions to be a "real man". The report, presented at a conference of the International Boys'Schools Coalition in London attended by the heads of private and state schools, goes against _ that boys do better when taught alongside girls. Tony little, headmaster of Eton, warned that boys were being failed by the British education system because it had become too focused on girls. He criticized teachers for failing to recognize that boys are actually more emotional than girls. The research argued that boys often perform badly in mixed schools because they become discouraged when their females peers do better earlier in speaking and reading skills. But in single-sex schools teachers can tailor lessons to boy's learning style, letting them move around the classroom and getting them to compete in teams to prevent boredom, wrote the study's author, Abigail James, of the University of Virginia. Teachers could encourage boys to enjoy reading and writing with "boy-focused"approaches such as themes and characters that interest them. Because boys generally have more acute(sharp)vision, learn best through touch, and are physically more active, they need to be given "hands-on"lessons where they are allowed to walk around. "Boys in mixed schools view classical music as feminine and prefer the modern type in which violence and sexism are major themes" James wrote. Single-sex education also made it less likely that boys would feel they had to agree with a stereotype that men should be "masterful and in charge" in relationships, "In mixed schools boys feel forced to act like men before they understand themselves well enough to know what that means." The study reported. Which is one of the advantages of single-sex schools according to Abigail James?
Teaching can be tailored to suit the characteristics of boys Boys can focus on their lessons without being disturbed Boys can choose to learn whatever they are interested in Teaching can be designed to promote boy's team spirit