This article reports on hopes and challenges in the first attempt to assist Ethiopian student teachers to develop practical awareness about action research through collaborative learning methods. First, the candidates were organized as a cohort. Then a framework was developed to help them construct reflective questions before and during action research. Two moments of intervention were set during the project. The first moment was while the student teachers were teaching in their partner school. The second, a post-field engagement, was set when the candidates finished their field experiences and returned to their campus. Evidence on the candidates' use of the knowledge they acquired through the intervention is presented in this article.