Teachers often maintain that there is very little classroom time available for student inquiry which leads to in-depth questioning of subject matter, and improves performance levels. In addition, teachers often assert that there is little time for unit planning. To examine these problems, a group of teachers (n=24) were involved in a study designed to obtain insight regarding the following questions: (1) how do teachers who use the instructional process model understand a generative learning model (a form of inquiry teaching) when presented as the preferred model for teaching science in the elementary school?; (2) what are specific points of conflict between the two models?; (3) what are points where the models are complementary?; and (4) how can generative learning model be communicated effectively to a broader range of teachers? The results indicated that these teachers felt that it was easier to teach using the traditional instructional process model largely because of the added skills and attitudes that must be considered in generative teaching. Also included in the article are points of conflict and similarity of the two models and implications for teacher education. (ZWH)