We had an interesting case in Grade 8 maths class where we drew simple line graphs representing the wastage of food by rich and poor people. The superficial interpretation was that rich people wasted more food than poor people.
A closer look revealed underlying issues that point more to the production and sustainability of food rather than wastage during consumption – meaning that food wastage is greatest before reaching your mouth! These are the issues that the world is grappling with – how do we produce food sustainably and minimise wastage?
All this from a simple graph comparing two lines! This is the critical thinking that moves beyond seeing what is there to exploring deeper issues. It is when maths actually comes alive. Numbers on their own are meaningless. It is the thought we give to what they represent, and what meaning they convey.