ABSTRACT
Cooperation is defined as a relational behaviour determined by three characteristics: concerted action, intentionality, and individual benefit. It differs from collaboration, which seeks rather to achieve a common goal and is organised according to a division of tasks. Cooperation between students corresponds to the set of situations where students are encouraged to act and learn by, with, and for others, in order to gain personal benefit. France has been a rich territory for cooperative educational practices. This chapter traces the evolution of these conceptions of pedagogy (some of which originated in countries other than France) first and then draws up a brief inventory of the cooperative organisations currently observed, making it possible to think about didactics of cooperation.
