This paper reports preliminary findings from an ongoing longitudinal study of preservice teachers mathematical knowledge and confidence. The subgroup for this study consists of 11 preservice teachers from a group of 60 students enrolled in the 2-year teacher education pilot program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), Toronto (Canada). The learning environment is designed to promote a sense of community and includes the following elements: small group discussions in which participants work on math investigations, workshops on cooperative learning techniques, experiences with collaborative learning in a variety of subject areas, and access to shared electronic databases which includes conferences of commentaries on mathematics. There is also a program-wide emphasis on constructivist approaches to learning, and students are introduced to a number of different technology-based and cognitively-oriented approaches to learning. The interpretive framework of community "glue factors" (identity, function, discourse, and shared values) is used to relate the data to the development of a learning community. The preliminary results suggest that the use of a shared electronic database facilitates a learning community for the majority of participants. The different participation patterns also suggest a need for more variety in approaches to accommodate the variety of learning styles and need. (Contains 45 references.) (JLS)