Mathematical Citizenship

Mathematical citizenship is about creating citizens who are not just adequately educated in the subject of math, but who also show a fundamental understanding of problem solving, analysis and the power of numbers in everyday life.  In teaching students I hope to encourage a sincere dialogue in the classroom where they are not just trying to get the right answer as quickly as possible.  Mostly I want students to question what they are learning, be it from their peers or from me.  "Why are we learning this?" seems to be the central focus of most of the students, but it would be great if students would instead take observations from outside the classroom and ask questions about those observations in terms of math.  One of the most pervasive examples of math in everyday life is in statistics given in the news.  Questioning the validity of opinion polls and statistics is an important skill that will be of immeasurable value later in life.  In the current year, the question of weather or not H1N1 is a real danger we should be worried about can be partially answered in terms of statistics if a student is confident/adept enough in mathematics.  Teaching students to think critically is something that will hopefully be encouraged in all areas of study, but in mathematics we really have an opportunity to encourage problem-solving skills along with the subject matter.  Having students bring in articles or anything they find in their outside life that relates to math, and sharing what they bring in with the rest of the class, might drive home the idea that math is not just contained within the classroom.  Occasionally taking a short break from pure mathematical discussion to talk about different topics that are related to math might also help to develop mathematical citizens, and possibly even develop a bit more interest in the subject matter.