ABSTRACT
This conclusion chapter presents some closing thoughts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book reviews multiple understandings of co-operation; they assess existing practices in relation to values, institutions and histories; they reflect upon specific examples of co-operative education; and they also provide more visionary analyses of what might be. Central contradictions in education are highlighted and new areas of scholarship, where research and practice can come together in productive ways, are delineated. It highlights the growing contradictions between rising costs and ever-tighter regulation of learning on the one hand and the scope for mutuality, social action and common understanding on the other. Democratic and co-operative organizations, that articulate the voices of learners and educators, present us with the potential to reshape education and learning for all. Co-operative models of education and learning are opening up new possibilities and new perspectives on contemporary changes in education.
