self reflection on interview assignment

The teacher I interviewed (through email) was my high school Math teacher. When I was in high school, we did not have group discussion or in-class activities. It was basically sat there and listened to the lecture, much like the university style (for most Math class at least). So I was surprised to hear that TPS (Think-Pair-Share) technique has been adapted into her teaching style. Prior to education program, I did not believe that group discussion could be used in a Math class. I always thought that group discussion is only for Social Studies, English and literature courses. However, she has shown me that group discussion can be used in a typical Math class. I like her idea of letting students communicate their methods to peers and then she offers a formal summary of the concepts and state what she expects to see on homework assignments. All of the students we interviewed like the idea of group discussion in Math class. This again is a shock to me, because I did not think that group discussion will work well in Math class. What I learned from this interview exercise is that what I believe is right may not be the right method anymore. I must keep observing what students need so that they can get the most out of the Math class.