The network Voice rhetoric and relations aims at developing and sharing knowledge about professional orality as a generic field of knowledge embracing voice and voice care, rhetoric and communication, as well as verbal and nonverbal communication. The network is coordinated from Åbo Akademi University, faculty of education and welfare studies. Initiated by Anna-Lena Østern, Ria Heilä-Ylikallio (Åbo Akademi) and Kristin Solli Schøien (University of South-Eastern Norway). The network has 20 participants from Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland. All participants have expert competence in some area of voice, rhetoric or relation and communication, and all are attached to a profession or reserachers connected to teacher education

The network is coordinated by av Anna-Lena Østern, Kristin Solli Schøien and Ria Heilä-Ylikallio at Åbo Akademi.

The network is inspired by performative research, emanating from practice and making use of artistic methods/ aesthetic approaches to learning. The meta language of rhetoric offers concepts for use in talking about, discussing and describing the oral expression. Practice based reserach and co-researching are characteristics of the network. The network is transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, but with a main focus on teacher education and teachers related to professional development and pedagogical supervision.

Working modes for the network

Each institution participates the way the participants wish to.
One possibility is to form a working group at a certain instution.
One participant might teach in practice.
One participant can agree upon to observe another participant’s teaching and do research connected to the observation.
One participant can suggest a common project with a Nordic basis.
The network can arrange/ suggest seminars, webinars and a potential conference.
The network can arrange writing workshops, training workshops etc.
One or several research groups can bed initated within or with support from the network

Economy

The network does not have an economy of its own.
A Nordplus application in higher education for intensive courses in Voicem rhetoric and relations is administrated from University of South-Eastern Norway (Kristin Solli Schøien).
An instution can apply for funding from/through the available channels for the activity

Activity 2020

During 2020 five webinars has been arranged. The five doctoral students attached to the network have presented their research plans. Invited guests have presented research on digitalized teaching. Participants from the different universities have presented their teaching within VRR. A tool for oral reflection «Refletionslandskap» has been presented. A didactically oriented book about professional orality (accepted for publication at Fagbokforlaget) has been presented. A Nordplus application has been elaborated by a working group within the network (and sent). In the application this network is described as aproject.

The lifetime of the network

The network ceases to exist when the participants decide so.