 Anna-Lena Østern, EdD, Phil.lic.Professor emerita attached to Åbo Akademi, NTNU and Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge.Teacher educator, specialized in performative and narrative approaches. Artistic work as poetry performer, director and dramaturg. Nonfiction author within professional orality, Swedish with a twist, aesthetic approaches to learning, drama and storyline. Recent publication «Teaching and learning through dramaturgy. Education as an artful engagement” (2021, May, Routledge) |
 Kristin Solli Schøien, Associate professor in pedagogy with a focus on supervision, University of South-Eastern Norway. Leader for the research project Professional orality. Composer, singer and author. |
 Ria Heilä-Ylikallio, Professor in Swedish and literature with a didactical focus at Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies in Vaasa, Finland. She recived her PhD in Education in 1997 with a dissertation about student texts. Active in teacher education. Particularly interested in writing pedagogy and aesthetic learning processes within the framework of teaching Swedish and literature. Engaged in several different research and development projects, including DivEd, Skrivstöttning, Case BSS, Gränsland Light. Member of the Nordic steering group for NNMF. |
 Anders Sigrell, Professor in rhetoric Lund University. Subject teacher in Swedish. Ph.D. thesis from 1999: “Att övertyga mellan raderna. En retorisk studie av underförståddheter i samtida politisk diskurs”. Since 2008 professor in rhetoric at Lunds University. Author of “Retorik för lärare – konsten att välja språk konstruktivt” (2015). |
 Viveka Lyberg Åhlander is a registered speech language pathologist, Professor in Logopedics at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland and Associate Professor at Lund University, Sweden. She has long experience at working clinically with voice disorders and in health promoting projects and she is specialised in working with voice disorders in singers. Her research focuses voice and voice problems within the concept of “Speakers’ Comfort”, i.e. how speakers of different age and occupation use their voice and communication in relation to the own perception of the room and the listener. This line of research also covers the effect the speakers’ voice and communication has on the listener and the listener’s effort to process the message. Lyberg Åhlander has a long experience also as Educational Developer at Lund University. |
 Magdalena Snickars, MaEd, dramapedagogue, university teacher at Åboa Akademi University, faculty of education and welfare studies, where she is a teacher for becoming primary school teachers, subject teachers, immersion program teachers, subject teachers, and early childhood education teachers. Her teaching comprises courses like Voice, rhetoric and relations, literature and drama, relations and media, and more. Has worked with devising and her artistic work is within Närpes theatre where she is an actor. |
 Suvi Karjalainen is university teacher at Umeå University, Department of language studies, where her main teaching is within voice and speech in teacher education. She is from 2016 a research fellow at the Unit for logopedics, phoniatrics and audiology at Lund University. Her doctoral project explores the effects of continuous education courses focused on communication in the classroom. The effects on the teachers’ voice health, well-being as well as communication, and also if the teachers’ well-being is connected to the acoustics in the classroom. She is also on a leave from her clinical job as speech language pathologist at Norrland’s university hospital. Her doctoral thesis is planned to be delivered spring 2021. |
 Sigrun Wessel Svenkerud is associate professor of education at University of South-Eastern Norway. She teaches pedagogy, focused on teaching, supervision and assessment in teacher educations, at master level studies in educational leadership, as well as at Ph.D.- course in assessment of oracy, quite close to the theme of her dissertation «Opplæring i muntlige ferdigheter». Oracy is in the margin compared to other basic skills, and a meta language is needed and a tool for analysis that both researchers, teachers, and students can use in their exploration, planning, carrying out and assessing oral skills. By illuminating orality from different theoretical perspectives the dissertation contributed to a didactic competence for oral skills, as well ass a a more comprehensive understandingo f how this field can be developed. Also in the project Bridges which I currently is occupied with, where the aim is to strengthen the crosscurricular theme sustainability, mastery of life and democracy and citizenship, oral skills are focused. |
 Åge Boman Homleid Leads, teaches and is lecturing in MOVEMENTS. He has a master (hovedfag) in drama- and theatre communication from NTNU, and has also studied pedagogy, economy, storytelling, dance and physical education. Boman Homleid has 20 years of experience as instructor and course leader, and he has been university lecturer in drama and theatre at Bergen University College. He leads and directs the Norwegian theatre groups Plastic Fantastic and Panorama. Plastic Fantastic has among other things worked with authors Frode Grytten and Erling Dokk Holm. Panorama is a theatre group for deaf actors. They won The cultural prize for Deaf people in 2006. As a doctoral student he works with the research Professional orality at University of South-Eastern Norway. |
 Cecilia Olsson Jers Ph.D. in Swedish with focus on didactics, Uppsala University. She has a special interest in oral and written communication, verbal interaction, storytelling and rhetoric. She does research within the project: “Narrationer i forskningskommunikation: om berättelsen som akademiskt argument”. Her teaching concerns oral and written communication. Her dissertation “Klassrummet som muntlig arena: att bygga och etablera ethos” is from 2010.The aim of the dissertation was to explore how students build and establish ethos. An example of an earlier research project is “Kommunikation mot profession. Muntlighet som en del av den kommunikativa kompetensen i utbildning”. |
 Maria Brännström, phil. lic in Swedish with a focus on didactics, is a doctoral student at Åbo Akademi University.In her research Maria is interested in how rhetoric can be used in order to to a greater extent to integrate the democracy task in the everyday life in school in general and in the subject Swedish especially. She works as manager of VIS, science in school – a network for teachers with a researcher education.The network educates as well in subject as in general didactics and supports school development processess in lower secondary school. Furthers also activities that bind together school, academia and business world. As teacher at Malmö University she works within teacher education with supervision and courses in rhetorica. Maria has many years of experience as teacher in basic education and in upper secondary school. |
 Anna Norrback, doctor of theology, Med, special education teacher. Works at Åbo Akademi University as lecturer in religious education, also attached to faculty of education and welfare studies as teacher of religion and philosophy of life, as well as pedagogical supervision in teacher education. Her dissertation from 2001 isThe Fatherless and the Widow in the Deuteronomic Covenant. Åbo Akademi. |
 Nina Dahl-Tallgren I am a doctoral student in Educational Sciences at Åbo Akademi University in Finland. I am located in Vasa at Wasa Theatre, working as a actor as well as lecturer. I have competence to provide key competences in communication, cooperation and creativity using the theatre as a tool. My ongoing research project concerns TIE and its learning potential for students in grade 8. |
 Rannveig Björk Thorkelsdóttir is an associate professor at the University of Iceland, School of Education. She completed her B.Ed. degree from the University of Iceland in 2003, an M.A. degree in Educational Theory in 2009 and an M.A. degree in applied studies in Culture and Communication from the University of Iceland Faculty of History and Philosophy in 2012. She holds a Ph.D. from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) with emphasis on drama and theatre study. In her research and practice she focuses on drama and artistic approaches to teaching and learning. |
 Jóna Guðrún Jónsdóttir is an adjunct lecturer at the University of Iceland, School of Education. She completed her teaching qualification from the University of Iceland in 2005 and an M.Ed. in Arts Education, also from the University of Iceland, in 2020. Jóna Guðrún has about 20 years of teaching experience at all school levels. She has specialized in Drama Education and the impact of drama in relation to children’s learning. In her research and practice she focuses on Drama and Artistic approaches to teaching and learning. |
 Paul Strand, doctoral student in rhetoric at Lund University, was earlier within history of art, subject teacher in Swedish and history and within special education in upper secondary school. From 2012 teacher in subject teacher education at Lund University teaching mainly text analysis and rhetoric. Emanating from this he has developed an increasing interest in rhetoric in teacher education, and in its central educational function for the development of the professional role of the students and for a well functioning interactive teaching. Since 2017 doctoral student in educational science with a focus on subject teacher students learning. |
 Bente Fossvold-Jørum works as an assistant professor in art and crafts at NTNU, Trondheim. She has a Master of Arts Education and is currently a doctoral candidate at the Åbo Akademi University in Finland. Her research interests are educational design, performative and aesthetic approaches to learning |
 Juliette Box Vlemmix Assistant professor in Education. With a teacher degree from the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and several years of teaching experience at a upper secondary school, Juliette is a teacher educator at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She teaches pedagogics and education at the integrated master teacher education and the post graduate teacher training. As Program Leader for the postgraduate teacher training she developed interest in, and conducts research in, teacher educators professional development and collaboration practice. As from January 2021 she will combine that interest with her art teacher experience as a doctoral student in Education at Åbo Akademi University in Finland. |
 Sveinung Næss, associate professor i drama and theatre education at North University. He is the leader of an impro group called Power Impro, where I sings in a freestyling way based on impulses from the audience. He is also active as actor in training of medicine doctor students, where he gets a role task to act as a patient in some sort of serious trouble, fear, anxiety, sorrow. He has worked in teacher education at NTNU, Trondheim, as well as at Queen Maud’s university college for early childhood education. |
 Lina Teir Førstelektor i drama vid Universitetet i Sørøst-Norge USN |
 Camilla Angeltun Universitetslektor i pedagogikk ved Universitetet i Sørøst- Norge USN og filosofisk praktiker utdannet gjennom Norsk selskap for filosofisk praksis |
 Ása Helga is the chairman of FLÍSS the Icelandic drama and theatre association. She is an adjunct in Arts and Drama Education at the School of Education, University of Iceland and a drama teacher at Iceland Academy of the Arts. She holds a degree Master of Arts in Drama and Theatre Education from the University of Warwick in England, 2002. Ása has been involved in curriculum development in Iceland and introducing drama in schools and higher education for over 35 years. She is an author of both textbooks and scholarly publications and articles on drama in education and has been a researcher for years. Her research interests are aesthetic learning processes in professional and interdisciplinary work. Ása is a professional actress and was a host at the children’s program in the Icelandic television for several years. |
 Anne-Grete Kaldahl’s main interests are educational psychology, pedagogy, didactics, oracy and rhetoric in school linked to democracy, citizenship, critical thinking, and life skills. Her research has examined what good quality oracy in school can be and how oracy is assessed from the perspective of students and teachers. She researches using several different methodological approaches: mixed methods and rhetorical analysis such as topoi analysis. Anne-Grete received her doctorate in educational science and rhetoric at OsloMet (The Educational challenge of oracy – a rhetorical approach: Exploring and articulating the oracy construct in Norwegian schools). She has been a teacher and has taught teachers in pre-and continuing education for several years at OsloMET. She has been employed at the University of Bergen, Norway, at the Department of Information and Media Studies. She is a researcher on the project DEREKRIT (democracy, rhetoric, and critical thinking in schools) and is the coordinator of the speech competition “Seize the word!” (www.taordet.no – talekonkurranse for ungdom). |
 Laila Aleksandersen Nutti is a doctoral student at University of Lapland in Rovaniemi and an Assistant professor of Education at Sámi University of Applied Sciences. Her research field is Sámi pedagogic and main interest is JOIK as an aesthetic experience and -expression, traditional knowledge and the rights of Sámi Children. She is involved in arctic and indigenous cooperation in the field of education and has expertise from the field of Early Childhood Education in Sápmi. |
 Sirkka Ivakko, lecturer at English Studies and Education, Faculty of Education and Society, Malmö University. I work in teacher education with the teacher programs for the primary years, also with courses for certification of teachers from abroad. My master-thesis analyses childrens´ letters to an editor for an illustrated Periodical for children. My special interest is in VTS – visual thinking strategies and the use of the voice in the teaching profession. |
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Karl Melby Annika Wiklund-Engblom
I am an associate professor in education at the Department of Education, Umeå University since 2022. Educational design research from an educational psychology perspective has been my main research interest. This usually involves development projects and applied research. For instance, how we can design digital learning environments to support self-regulated learning. However, contexts have varied from companies to early childhood education and everything in between. A special interest is teachers’ digital relational competences, in which I also supervise a doctoral student at Åbo Akademi University. I am part of a research group researching innovative learning environments to see how student-centered learning develops. I received a doctorate in education (2015) from Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa, where I also live with my family. I received a master’s degree in developmental psychology (1997) and did a two year IT pedagogue course via Linneaus University in Sweden. Distance learning became a theme that I myself got to experience a lot as we lived abroad for many years (Houston, Mumbai, Sydney). In Australia I spent time as a PhD student at Peter Goodyear’s CoCo centre at Sydney Unviersty. I spent 8 years as a research coordinator at MediaCity at Åbo Akademi, where we developed a user experience laboratory. Due to this, method development and mixed methods are my specialty. We conducted applied research with a strong focus on transmedia storytelling and digital innovation. In 2017-19 I was a postdoc at the Department of Applied Educational Science at Umeå University. Thereafter, I took a detour out of academia and worked as a project manager at Folkhälsan in Finland for 3 years. I used my storytelling background for writing several activating “Fairy Trails” for multidimensional nature experiences, which we also researched looking at the effects of nature experiences on parents and children. My interests in life revolve very much around wellness and self-regulation where yoga, qigong, dance (e.g., Bharatanatyam), nature, sound/music, art and storytelling are all tools I use and teach. I am on the boards of two associations with a focus on oral storytelling: GLÖD Österbottens berättarcentrum and ALBA SuomiFinland for healing storytelling, and have also been a member of the Nordic and Baltic Storytelling Meeting. |
 Katinka Brodin is a trained storyteller, drama teacher, director and instructor with a master in leadership and guidance with an attentive presence. Brodin works as a freelancer and has developed programs and tours in Norway with collective theatre, forum theater and various narrative performances, especially aimed at children and young people. She instructs theatre/musical productions, teaches drama and music at the Early Childhood Education (USN), and at the Leadership education (VID) in practice sensitivity and relational management with an artistic introduction. Her main interest is empowerment through artistic experiences, and for the past 15 years she has specialized in working with life stories in the project Life stories in a pedagogical context. |
 Johanna Björkell, BSc, MA, lecturer in pedagogy at Åbo Akademi University, Finland, Faculty of Education and Welfare Studies. She teaches all categories of teachers in a variety of pedagogy, didactics and research methodology courses. Johanna’s research area includes digital relational competence for higher education teachers and as part of her own development work, she works with podcasts in teaching to promote learning, academic reading, foster academic speech, give students a professional voice, work with professional identity building, counteract loneliness, support networking, teach study techniques such as academic note-taking and contribute to research-based teaching in the field. Johanna teaches in Swedish, English and Finnish. A subject teacher with principal certification, an IT-pedagogue and executive coach, with the goal of ungrading all aspects of life, work and learning. |