Research says...

This weekend I was playing Family Feud with some friends. You know you're old when you are the only one to remember Richard Dawson....

Anyway...

I was doing some research. I will be teaching an abridged PreCalculus class this summer. I have several questions that rattle through my head...
What should I teach?
How much of High Dive do my students remember?
How much of High Dive is important for my students' success in Calculus?

I found this article. Here are some excerpts:

"If students are to remember what they learn, the courses they take must tell a coherent story...Precalculus courses often run the risk of not being memorable because they are defined as the skills needed in calculus rather than telling a coherent story...No matter what flavor of calculus course they take, students benefit from a precalculus course that emphasizes interpretation as well as calculation...Particularly for students who are repeating material that they did not fully master before, a focus on meaning is an essential part of making the ideas fit together and finally stick."

Do you feel that your current Precalculus class "tells a coherent story"? Or is there more of an emphasis on the calculations? Do you think you are mastering the material?

Additionally, since you have experienced both "traditional" and "reform" (IMP) math curriculum, how should the AP Calculus class be taught? What are the pro's and con's of continuing to use our traditional Calculus curriculum? Of switching to a reform Calculus curriculum?

Here is a research paper examining the University of Michigan's Calculus classes, which use a "reform" textbook created by Harvard University.