Holly Hansen-Thomas, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor 
Department of Teacher Education
Program Area:
Bilingual and ESL Education  

Professional Preparation:

Ph.D. Culture, Literacy, and Language
University of Texas at San Antonio

M.A. Bicultural/Bilingual Studies with a concentration in English as a Second Language (ESL)
University of Texas at San Antonio

B.A. Art History
University of Texas at Austin

Profile

Holly Hansen-Thomas is proud to be a native Texan serving the students and teachers of her home state. Prior to joining TWU in 2008, Dr. Hansen-Thomas was an Assistant Professor of ESL and Literacy Education at Binghamton University-SUNY, in upstate New York.  She has taught for nearly 18 years in public schools, private language institutions, colleges, and universities throughout Texas and the international community, and holds lifetime Texas teaching certification in English, ESL, Spanish, and Bilingual Education. Dr. Hansen-Thomas’ teaching and research has taken her to many interesting places. A former Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Hansen-Thomas taught and studied in Budapest, Hungary, and has also taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL)/ESL in Barcelona, Spain, and Dresden, Germany, in addition to various locations in the U.S.

Dr. Hansen-Thomas’ scholarly work deals with issues of second language learners’ teaching and learning in school. Her record of publishing includes peer-reviewed articles in national and international academic journals, book chapters, and pedagogical writings, among others. She has an active presentation record, having spoken on issues of language education at local, national, and international conferences throughout the U.S., as well as in Mexico, Hungary, and Belarus. Her current research interests examine how adolescent second language learners develop academic language and content knowledge in the subject areas of math and science. Dr. Hansen-Thomas is currently completing a book which examines how middle school Latino ELLs develop competence in reform-oriented mathematics classes.

Dr. Hansen-Thomas is an active member of international, national, and local educational organizations including AERA, TESOL, NABE, and Kappa Delta Pi, as well as TexTESOL. She will also serve as co-sponsor of the TWU chapter of BESO (Bilingual Education Students Organization).