Season 2, Ep. 8: Literacy Instruction with Dr. Throndsen

🎙️ On the Road to Literacy Success Podcast

In this episode of On the Road to Literacy Success, host Staci Bain, Ed.D. sits down with Jennifer Throndsen, founder of Impactful Learning Designs and former Department of Education leader, for a grounded, practical conversation about what Tier 1 instruction actually needs to look like in real classrooms.

Together, they explore why strong literacy outcomes don’t come from initiatives alone—but from clear, cohesive systems that translate into daily instructional practice for teachers. Dr. Throndsen shares her personal journey into education, her passion for teaching, and her unwavering commitment to improving literacy outcomes for all students.

She also names several common instructional pitfalls she sees across schools and districts, including:

📌 The need for explicit, intentional instruction

📌 Increasing meaningful engagement with grade-level texts

📌 The danger of over-scaffolding, which can unintentionally limit student independence and cognitive growth

This episode is a must-listen for teachers, instructional coaches, principals, and district leaders who are serious about strengthening Tier 1 literacy in a way that is doable, effective, and sustainable.

👩‍🏫 About the Guest Dr. Jennifer Throndsen is the founder of Impactful Learning Designs and a former Department of Education leader. Her work centers on helping educators build instructional systems that improve outcomes while honoring the realities of classrooms and schools.

💛 About Good Humans Educate and Dr. Staci Bain Good Humans Educate supports teachers and school leaders with practical, research-aligned tools for Tier 1 literacy instruction. Staci Bain, Ed.D. is the author of Empowered to Teach and Lead: Whole-Group Literacy Instruction Made Easy—your go-to elementary school playbook for whole-group literacy that’s cohesive, clear, and coherent.

📘 Learn more at GoodHumansEducate.comExplore:Asynchronous Tier 1 Roadmap CoursesProprietary whole-group Tier 1 instructional frameworksVirtual and onsite professional learning designed to reduce overload and increase clarity

✨ If this conversation resonated with you, be sure to like, subscribe, and share this episode with a fellow educator committed to Tier 1 excellence.

📚 Education is liberation.

🦄 Whole-group is the work.