Serene autonomy, cooperation, co-evolution: Freinet pedagogy and public Freinet schools

The concept and practice of a(n) “different education” / “alternative education” have drawn an ideal educational blueprint. Nevertheless, the doubts towards alternative education (including high tuition fees, classroom disorder, low learning achievement) frequently challenge the ideal possibility that it has presented, also, alternative education constantly faces the crisis of being marginalized. By examining Célestin Freinet (the French pedagogue, 1896-1966)’s original texts, relevant research works on Freinet and the author’s observations and training data in Freinet Schools, this article discusses the spirit of Freinet Pedagogy: Autonomy, Cooperation and Co-evolution. The practice of Freinet’s Pedagogy and the public Freinet Schools now in France have the possibility to break the reproduction in education, and they have been triumphing over the various doubts towards the alternative education. In France and the neighboring European countries, Freinet’s Pedagogy is progressively realizing the beauty of education by means of a different education. Finally, it is stated that Freinet Pedagogy shows the potential to minimize the possibility of class reproduction in education.