I enjoyed reading this short article about mathematics and its role in developing good citizens. It continues to surprise me how prevasive mathematics is beyond the classroom. I would never think that things we hear on the news on a nightly basis are linked to math concepts. It makes sense now, but I would never think that, we as humans, have assigned numbers or mathematical concepts to most things we come across.
As far as the classroom is concerned, I have found that students find it very difficult to explain how they arrived at their answers. I think this is largely because the climate of mathematics education does not put enough emphasis on expecting students to be able to justify their solutions. Mathematics is considered very black and white; it is right or it is wrong. This article made me think back to the video where the teacher didn't say if their answers were correct or not. Instead he expected them to know that they were correct without any justification from an outside source. This is a great skill for us to be attempting to instill in our students; the ability to make choices for themselves and know that their choice is the best thing for them.
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