Creating a context for graduate student learning through constructivist inquiry: Introduction to academia as learning through play

In this article, I explore the impact of receiving mentorship into research and theory of the field that was guided by a social constructivist learning lens. I reflect on the ways that my conception of research and research agenda were framed subconsciously by early experiences investigating my secondary mathematics teaching practice under the mentorship of Dr. Terry Wood. Terry mentored through listening, posing questions, creating cognitive conflict, and encouraging my autonomous exploration. What stood out from this process are the parallels between her words about constructivism, applied to the elementary mathematics classroom, and her ways of mentoring me into the space of mathematics education research, theory, and practice. Her patient and student-centered mentorship had a profound impact on my ways of framing and studying teacher learning.