Group work is one of the teaching strategies used by teachers who attempt to make their teaching more effective. Collaborative work is an important aspect of group work. Even though group work is used by some teachers in their classrooms, there is a considerable variation in the extent and nature of such work. Therefore, it is necessary to examine group and collaborative work, to indicate their importance and the variable use of these techniques. In this study, firstly, collaborative work has been defined and then its importance, purposes, benefits for both students and teachers, and some problems that teachers confront in their classrooms have been discussed. Secondly, the variation between the teachers who are using group work, collaborative work, individual or whole class work have been explored and different kinds of group work have been described. Then, some research evidences on group work have been referenced and the consistency of results has been discussed. Finally, some recommendations for teachers in using group work and collaborative work have been made.

Abstract Throughout the last two or three decades, group work has become a part that cannot be separated from other classroom activities. This research study identifies the different opinions of Kurdish students concerning the advantages and disadvantages of group work in the classroom. The research was conducted on 100 Kurdish university students who had at least two years experience of group work at Universities in Kurdistan (Zakho, Dohuk, Salahaddin, and Sulaimani universities). Anonymously, a questionnaire was completed and its results were submitted by the respondents, hoping that their responses could directly address the research aim. Then, 20 students from the ones who participated in filling in the questionnaire were chosen and interviewed so as to gain as valid and reliable data as possible for the results of the study to be authentic. Thus, a triangulation methodological strategy was followed in this research study to produce valid results. The findings from both instruments revealed that “better communication”, “group work is a mutual interest”, “group members clarify difficult things to each other” and ''it takes a short time to finish a task in group work'' were students’ positive opinions, while “some members prefer to relax and stay silent”, “some members do not like to work”, ''group work is a waste of time as students talk about external things and they cannot reach any agreement' 'and “students depend on each other” were their negative opinions concerning group work. Suggesting further considerable studies on attitudes of students concerning group work, the research concludes.

The main purpose of our research was to investigate how to manage a primary school class. In the theoretical section of our study, we noticed that scientific literature about this topic emphasizes the historical shift from disciplining students to managing a class. This change is particularly important for creating better relationships between teachers and students, thus achieving an effective learning. In the empirical section, we collected opinions from a group of teachers from primary schools in Istria and Rijeka about perception of conduct by means of a standardized questionnaire. The obtained results are interesting: teachers perceive collaboration among students, teachers and parents as a considerably important factor which influences the behaviour of the class in a positive way. These results also indicate that pre-established rules of correct behaviour create a more mature sense of responsibility in children of such young age.

Classroom management has been a neglected issue on the education scenario for many years. It has been researched upon by many writers and the main dilemma is how to have good discipline in the classroom as well as enhancement of learning abilities amongst the students. There has been a stark contradiction in the position given to seating arrangement in literature as compared to the classroom in being considered a vital factor in learning enhancement in the modern schools. A private sector school was taken under study and grade v students were selected for the sample of the study. Qualitative tools used for the study included a teacher’s inventory and a questionnaire for the students. The hypothesis was that altering of seating arrangements has a positive effect on discipline control and enhances student learning. The data was collected over a period of 4 months during which 7 seating arrangements were used. The results showed that here was a profound improvement in student learning and the behavioural problems previously existent in the classroom were eliminated. Students developed better relations with each other and gender bias was decreased. It is strongly recommended that seating arrangement should be used as an effective tool for classroom management but employed with due consideration for desired results.