Self-directed learning is promoted systematically: pupils are encouraged to take as much responsibility as possible for their own educational development and their own learning areas, questions and topics. The teachers’ role is to make the learning areas and subjects available, prepare them didactically, offer individual suggestions and assistance, facilitate classroom activity and monitor learning outcomes.
The teaching methods at Salem have always sought to extend the learning experience beyond the boundaries of subject and class. Learners and teachers at the middle school are organised into school-year teams with their own learning centres providing scope and space for project-based work.
To make school time more flexible, lessons at the middle school take the form of double periods (90 minutes per lesson). All pupils also take part in established projects, some of which have been running successfully for many years: e.g. ecological excursions (year 11), work experience (year 10) or the so-called theme workshops (multidisciplinary projects lasting several days). Most of the workshop is spent working as a team, with the pupils usually giving a presentation of their results at the end.
For individual academic work, fixed times are set aside in the daily timetable, such as the so-called study period in which pupils do their homework under supervision.
In the afternoon and evening students participate with numerous extra-curricular activities.
