STEMTEC will develop courses aimed specifically at preservice elementary teachers. At UMass, about 80 early childhood and elementary teachers are graduated annually, so it is economically feasible to design introductory courses specifically for this audience. There is also the opportunity to create special sections of larger courses tailored to their interests. Two courses for elementary teachers have been tested recently at UMass; each was well received and will serve as a model:

• In the Spring, 1996 semester, Electricity and Magnetism was offered for 20 undergraduates and 10 inservice teachers and graduate students. It was taught by a physics professor, a high school physics teacher, and a K-8 science specialist. Based on the NSF/Operation Physics workshop materials, the course encouraged students to ask questions, design experiments, and analyze and reflect on their results. It also considered classroom implications and the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
  
  
• For several years Using Insects in the Classroom has been offered to classes including preservice and inservice teachers. Developed by a UMass Entomology faculty member in collaboration with a school elementary science specialist, it blends basic science with classroom issues. This course will shortly be broadcast statewide and nationally by Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Television.