ABOUT
Dr. Matt Hensley was born and raised in the hills of East Tennessee, not too far from the birthplace of frontiersman, Davy Crockett. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Prior to entering higher education, he taught middle and high school social studies and was a K-12 museum educator at a natural history museum. His research interests include, exploring alternative approaches to teaching and learning social studies; educational technology; visual literacy; critical social media literacy; inquiry-based learning grounded in the NCSS C3 Framework; and social studies teacher preparation and professional development. He is particularly interested in “localizing” social studies curricula and empowering teachers to craft authentic learning experiences for their students. Dr. Hensley has authored several peer-reviewed journal articles related to social studies education which have been featured in journals like the Journal of Social Studies Research, Social Studies Research and Practice, Research in Social Sciences and Technology, The Clearing House, and The Social Studies. He also co-authored the book Visual Literacy in the K-12 Social Studies Classroom (co-author S. Waters and W. Russell). Additionally, he serves as the conference coordinator for the International Society for the Social Studies. When Dr. Hensley is not working on research or teaching, he enjoys running, hiking, woodworking, and singing.
EDUCATION
B.A., Political Science, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
M.S. Social Science Education, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Ph.D. Teacher Education - Social Sciences and Educational Technology, The University
of Tennessee, Knoxville
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Google Scholar Profile Link: click here