When Conceptions Collide: Constructing a community of inquiry for teacher education in British Columbia

The first part of the article describes a cohort option in a one-year elementary teacher education programme that is based on the idea of building a community of inquiry. This overview frames the discussion in the second part. Here I examine conceptual tensions that arise from the various understandings participants have of community and inquiry. Instructors see inquiry as the central purpose of the community, but some students believe mutual support is paramount (a community of compassion) and others believe they have entered a credentialing community. Each of these understandings results in a different degree or kind of participation.