There is a quote at the beginning of this article that I slightly disagree with. The quote states that "the study of mathematics is ultimately the study of humanity itself" (Devlin, 1988,9). I would change the quote to say that mathematics is the study of nature, and not humanity. I believe that mathematics is a man made construct to represent nature. Mathematics helps us understand the world in which we live in.
This article raised some valid points about mathematics education in schools contributing to citizenship. Mathematics develops reasoning, patterning, critical thinking and generalizing. I feel these qualities, without speaking in terms of mathematics, directly contribute to good citizenship education. These qualities also are heightened with the skill of explanation, which I think mathematics helps develop. Students practice communication in mathematics when they explain their though process to solve a problem. Another aspect of math that develops citizenship education is the view that there is not a single right answer, but rather multiple ways to solve one problem. This promotes the idea of diversity, different points of view and creativity.
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