Reflection to “Citizenship Education in the Context of School Mathematics”

Before reading this article, I haven’t quite thought of mathematics as having “a role in citizenship education.” However, I do agree with Simmt that most people don’t consciously realize “that there is much in our society which has been quantified” (unemployment rate, the weather forecast, smog index etc). Speaking from my own experience of learning mathematics in high school, I also agree with Simmt that math is usually taught in ways that promote “math as a set of facts, skills and processes” which problems can be solved by algorithm and systematic computational skills; accept “math as either right or wrong” without much critical thinking and understanding of math. Therefore, when I teach mathematics, I would take into consideration the suggestions Simmt made. In particular, I would encourage my students to look at the same problem from various perspectives and investigate the problem. This would “allow students with various backgrounds in math” to engage in a math activity. I would also, engage my students in mathematical conversations which may help clarify misunderstandings of math, help strengthen math concepts and/or allow students to learn from each other. Lastly, I want my students to engage in critical thinking, questioning and analyzing math problems so that they develop the potential to understand mathematics used in society and their role in shaping it.