Successful collaborative learning in physics often depends on how well student teams navigate confusion to reach shared understanding—an effort that relies heavily on socio-metacognition. In this study, we examine how teams engage in socio-metacognitive practices as they work through fictionalized student dialogues (FSDs), which are designed to trigger cognitive conflict by presenting contrasting lines of reasoning about physical concepts and phenomena. We analyzed classroom video from 25 groups of pre-service K–8 teachers in undergraduate physics courses using the Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking (NextGen PET) curriculum, a student-centered approach that integrates conceptual understanding and experimentation with an emphasis on building consensus. We focus on how students engage in socio-metacognitive communication patterns during FSD-based tasks. Our analysis highlights variation in how groups explore multiple perspectives and construct high-quality claims as they move toward consensus. This talk will share these emerging patterns and consider how structured moments of confusion can be designed to support more equitable participation and shared sensemaking in physics classrooms.