In an effort to make sense of prospective teacher’s views of decimal fractions, an exploration of facets of place value understanding was conducted. To move past a focus on performance as a measure of understanding, a framework for the exploration of place value ideas as they relate to prospective teachers’ understanding of decimal fractions was developed. The framework is used to analyze the work of a small collection of prospective elementary teachers who worked to share their understanding of decimals. Conclusions regarding the power of the inquiry in mathematics teacher educator’s understandings of learners and as a springboard for instruction are shared
