Teaching in Higher Ed From Awareness to Action: Interrupting Bias in the Classroom
Apr 16, 2026
Norma Montague, Associate Professor of Accounting and Senior Associate Dean who practices inclusive and reflective teaching, discusses interrupting classroom bias. She recounts teaching across community colleges and correctional education. Topics include auditing participation to spot gaps, rebranding office hours as student hours, using TAs as scribes, and strategies like warm calls and polling to broaden engagement.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
From Accounting To Teaching Sparked By First Adjunct Experience
- Norma transitioned from public accounting to teaching after an anxious but exhilarating first adjunct class at a community college nearly 30 years ago.
- Her early teaching exposed her to diverse learners across day and evening sessions, shaping her inclusive approach based on knowing students' motivations.
Teaching In A Correctional Facility Shaped Her Values
- Norma taught at Harnett Correctional Institute for four years after being assigned there early in her career.
- She found incarcerated students highly motivated to be seen and validated, which deeply influenced her teaching philosophy.
Classroom Audit Revealed Hidden Participation Gaps
- A peer classroom audit revealed Norma called on male students more often and some students dominated airtime without her noticing.
- Students needing processing time or language translation were unintentionally excluded from discussions.
