Many of the papers in this special issue draw on the fundamental model of numeracy developed by Goos et al. (Transforming mathematics instruction: multiple approaches and practices. 81-102, 2014). Four elements in that model--contexts, tools, dispositions, and mathematical knowledge--are embedded within a critical orientation, and being, or becoming critical is a thread that runs through the papers in this issue and provides the main theme for this commentary. I also consider briefly some issues surrounding the nature of contexts for developing numeracy and the nature of dispositions. Questions for the debate are raised with the hope that this prompts further conversation.