What Could Teacher Education Be Like for Prospective Teachers of Early Childhood Mathematics—with Particular Reference to the Environment

In preparing teachers for early childhood education, there are some deeply held beliefs that must be challenged: (a) the belief in simplicity; (b) the belief in enjoyment; (c) the belief in reality; and (d) the most powerful, the empty vessel belief. I address each of these in turn and, in the process, speak to the role of the teacher in constructing an environment that supports and develops a child’s mathematical constructs.