Co-operative Education Conference 2016

The 2016 Co-operative Education Conference, organised by the Co-operative College, brought together co-operators, practitioners, researchers and students from around the world to explore the latest ideas and developments...

The 2016 Co-operative Education Conference, organised by the Co-operative College, brought together co-operators, practitioners, researchers and students from around the world to explore the latest ideas and developments in co-operative learning. Held from 21 to 22 April in Manchester, the event was divided into two main sections: research and education. But the conclusion from both days was the same – great things happen when people co-operate.

  • The conference spelled out the benefits of co-operation for education

    What is the way forward for co-operative schools?

    Delegates at the Co-operative Education conference in Manchester on 29 April looked at the opportunities and threats posed by the government’s white paper on education. The session was held before ministers backtracked on plans to force all schools to become academies by 2022. Co-operative schools enable stakeholders such as staff, parents and the community to have a say in their ...

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  • Linda Shaw speaking at the Co-operative Education Conference in Manchester

    New research looks at co-operatives and colonies

    As the Co-operative College prepares to celebrate its centenary anniversary in 2019, new research by Linda Shaw looks at co-operative education during the period following World War II. Dr Shaw’s study aims to put co-ops back into the history of international development and understand the role of the College and its network. She explained to delegates at the Co-operative Education ...

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  • Karen Miner at the Co-operative College's Co-operative Education Conference in Manchester, 21-21 April 2016

    The importance of co-operative business education

    Opening the second day of the Co-operative Education Conference, Karen Miner, managing director of the Cooperative Management Education Program at St Mary’s University in Nova Scotia, Canada, explored co-operative business education (CBE) – and why CBE uptake can sometimes be so low. The scope for co-operative learning within businesses is huge, said Ms Miner, and is relevant to ...

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  • Prof Carlisle is a pioneer of business improvement through profitable co-operation

    Co-ops have the opportunity to start with the right business model

    “How can co-ops manage their business well?”, asked Dr John Carlisle, a visiting professor at Sheffield Hallam University’s business school. In his presentation at the Co-operative Education Conference in Manchester, Dr Carlisle argued co-ops should redesign the business model for co-operative education. He thinks that many courses focused on the co-operative model fail to take into account ...

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  • Simon Parkinson

    Co-operative College launches new website at AGM

    At its first annual general meeting as a membership organisation, the Co-operative College launched a new website, which will act as a central hub for its members, with polls, topics and digital badges. The college has also announced the results of the election for its board of trustees. The College elected John Boyle, Trisha Jaffe, Hazel Johnson and Nigel Todd from the membership. They ...

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  • How co-op research can promote engagement across generations

    Delegates at the Co-operative Education Conference in Manchester looked at different approaches to research. One case study came from the Algoma University in Canada, which runs a Community Economic and Social Development (CESD) programme that promotes community-based research. The undergraduate programme has a strong practical component and includes an international development ...

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  • Are co-ops social enterprises?

    While they often do not see themselves as social enterprises, co-operatives are part of this sector, delegates at the Co-operative Education Conference in Manchester were told. One of the speakers at the conference, Karl Birkhölzer from Technet Berlin, looked at the common features of co-ops and social enterprises. Technet Berlin is a social enterprise providing research and support to ...

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  • PhD researchers Natalie Bradbury, Debbie Rolls and Jo Darnley with Hazel Johnson at the Co-operative Education Conference

    Does co-operative research need to involve co-operation?

    Research into co-operatives can also lead to a more co-operative approach to the researching process. A panel of researchers attending the Co-operative Education Conference in Manchester looked at what it means to do research co-operatively. The five researchers are PhD students at different universities and work with the Co-operative College closely. They believe that co-operative ...

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  • Can co-ops maintain the momentum and further develop co-operative research?

    In a keynote speech at the Co-operative Education Conference, Linda Shaw, former vice principal of the Co-operative College, looked at how the movement could build on past achievements to promote co- operative research. After retiring from the College last year, she went back to her roots as a historian and is currently working on a study on developmentalist colonialism and ...

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