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I think there were some negative words that came to be part of the group's unconscious for CONVERSATIONS because we were thinking about that term in relation to teaching to our students. If we had grouped conversation with only inquiry and students, there would have been a different group of words that came to mind.

We think of education, students and schools as formal institutions that are both chaotic and staid. But we see inquiry in science as an ongoing conversation that is transitional. Education is an institution that is like a huge concrete building full of holes and crumbling- maybe even about to topple. But that doesn't mean it will change after it falls down. But there are opportunities to elicit changes to "the building." We have opportunties to elicit change by seeking out conversations among colleagues and others who seek change. By inquiring, we can look at other perspectives and find new ways of thinking and conversing, which is essentially the scientific process that molds inquiry-based education.