Karina K.R. Hensberry

Dr. Hensberry’s primary goal as a faculty member in the College of Education is to improve mathematics learning for students of all backgrounds. Her research interests and expertise center around three strands. First, Dr. Hensberry’s research focuses on deepening our understanding of effective practices for teaching mathematics. For instance, her earlier work around the design and development of interactive simulations (sims) for mathematics expanded into a focus on best practices for effectively teaching math with technology. Dr. Hensberry believes knowing what works in a classroom does little good if we don’t support teachers to implement those effective practices. As such, the second strand of her research centers on mathematics teacher education and professional development. She works to deepen our understanding of how to support change in teacher practice, with an emphasis on i) research around effective professional learning experiences and ii) transforming theory-to-practice for practitioners. Many of Dr. Hensberry’s personal life experiences have shaped the way she approaches both teaching and teacher education. Consequently, these two strands also include attending to the experiences and funds of knowledge of academic mothers in mathematics education. Third, Dr. Hensberry’s research takes a transdisciplinary approach to mathematics, including Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) Education. She also attends to culture and language in her work, and promotes informal and outdoor education as venues for realistic and relevant math and STEAM education.