Mastering the Challenge of Change

Calculus 12 is one of the many Grade 12 math courses Brentwood offers. In this class, students are challenged to learn and understand calculus concepts introduced in first-year university calculus courses. Students' understanding of the concepts can be categorized into four categories: reasoning and modelling, understanding and solving, communicating and representing, and connecting and reflecting. 

Mr Wardrop, the Director of Teaching and Learning and Calculus 12 teacher, famously instills the mantra “Try, Make Mistakes, Learn!” in Calculus 12 students. Calculus is all about rates of change, so as students learn new concepts, mistakes are encouraged because they are a valuable learning tool. Unlike most math courses, Calculus 12 differentiates itself by imploring students to try and fail over and over again to gain a better understanding of the topics covered. 

Interestingly, most of the students in Calculus 12 are taking Pre-calculus 12 simultaneously. One of these students is Assistant Athletic Prefect, Ruby M, Allard ‘25, who says, “Calculus challenges me to learn concepts on a deeper level and makes me feel more confident in Pre-calc.” Students enjoy the challenge of navigating two academically rigorous courses. Alexandra House Captain, Sloane S, ‘25 expresses, “I enjoy working through extending level questions by applying the skills I already have and expanding my understanding of different concepts!” Pearl N, Hope ‘25 observes “Mr. Wardrop is an amazing teacher; his passion for teaching and learning is evident in the activities we do and his teaching style.”

Students can acknowledge that the benefits of taking Calculus 12 outweigh any temporary anxiety that plagues them during assessments. The primary benefit is the leg up we will receive in first-year university courses, which will be mandatory in the vast majority of programs students will pursue. As students function with the idea of understanding the deeper meaning of concepts, they are evolving their learning practices beyond memorized steps and shortcuts. Students can redefine their traditional thinking by making mistakes with the understanding that the deeper their understanding, the more successful they’ll be in the future.

Integrate that!

Brynn W, Mack ‘25