In this article, critical community building (CCB) is posed as a promising practice for teacher education. The authors engaged in action research in order to investigate the usefulness of the tenets of CCB for shaping experiences in a classroom management course. The overarching goal was to inform a teacher educator's practices in establishing equitable learning spaces. The objectives of the investigation were twofold. First, we aimed to build trust in the learning community so that we could address controversial topics related to education, specifically in the area of classroom management. Second, we hoped that preservice teachers would take up and name CCB as part of their own pedagogical practice. Our guiding question was: When CCB is intentionally embedded in a teacher education course, how might preservice teachers' description of their understanding be used to refine CCB practices within the context of teacher education? Action research was employed so that the authors could use student data to inform teaching practices. Data sources included observations during instructional time, student work products, audio recordings of small group discussions, interview transcripts, and collaborative debrief and planning notes. The co-authors coded and analyzed data individually and collaboratively. Preservice teachers revealed that participating in activities guided by CCB principles resulted in what they described as: (a) increased meaningful interaction and interdependence, (b) instructional strategies that enhanced learning, and (c) shifts in thinking about traditional notions of classroom management.