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My best experiences in getting feedback have come when I trusted the person giving it and was ready to receive it.  I had to have been in a place where I was open to input.
My worst experiences have been when "feedback" has felt like criticism. I think this happens when the person giving it uses terms that made me feel it was my flaw that was the issue rather than a mistake. Using accusatory phrases like "You should (not) have..." or "you didn't think it through, " do not help a person reflect. It has also happened when I am already second-guessing myself and am too defensive to hear suggestions.

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In order to achieve our goals we need to find a common goal that everyone can live by and support (Learning for All). We need to be really clear with staff on what that looks like. Staff input into the goal is crucial. We need to establish more time than just the PLC to work in teams to achieve our goals. Finally we need to see the results of our labor and we need to celebrate our success.

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Goals must be realistic and achievable, and serve as the foundation towards making the "ultimate goals" both realistic and achievable.

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Collaboration at a high level means we all have to be on same playing field. Everyone needs to buy-in to what we are working on and be able to work together as a group without fear of being judged for their own beliefs. Collaboration means we all sacrifice our time and talents for the good of the team.

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Needs to be more than superficial cooperation. It involves not only working together towards achieving a goal, but also requires that things that detract from, or work against achieving a goal, are addressed.

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In order to gain an exemplary level of collaboration, our team would need to practice exchanging opinions respectfully. Maybe I'm focusing on the negatives, but I feel there are some of us who avoid conversation for fear of confrontation and others who seek confrontation and refuse to budge unless given a directive. True collaboration is not about directives. That creates members who check the box. We need to move past that and into self motivation from teams.

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In order to achieve our goals as a team, we need to narrow them down to a very small number and discuss it as a staff. One thing I took from the video that stuck with me was that staff meetings should not only be dissemination of information but rather work toward an end. I think community can be built when members feel heard and can respectfully disagree and compromise.

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The best feedback that I have received has come from a trusted mentor who sat down with me and talked face-to-face.  The comments were genuine and sincere.  During the feedback I didn't get a long list of things to improve on.  Instead it was one or two specific things with great examples of how I could get better.

The worst feedback that I received was from an individual who didn't know all the aspects of the job I was doing. Some of the things that needed improved on were not even parts of my job or things that I had no control over. That was very frustrating.

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Must be actionable. To be actionable it must be specific, contextual, based on facts, and demonstrable with specific examples. "Feedback" that is unsupportable by example and based solely on supposition or conjecture, is not actionable.

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Face to face is the best way for me to get feedback.  An honest opinion made me respect the person a whole lot more.

Surveys--Don’t believe in them as they give people a venue who wouldn’t take the time or initiative to provide feedback face to face or to put their name to it.  This is an easy out for others to complain.  Surveys can be useful with carefully worded questions.

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TIME!!!!!  We also deal with issues from adults that take away from the focus of student achievement.

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We need to stay focused.  We are constantly bombarded with interruptions that get us off task.  We can have goals to accomplish, but when something major takes place that needs to be addressed it throws us off.  Getting back to the goal can be difficult.  We are trying to meet every Monday morning to refocus on what we are trying to accomplish.

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The best feedback I received has been honest facts to improve my development as a professional.  Along with the facts, I was given examples of ways to improve my performance.

In a previous life, the worst feedback that I received was because of a difference in opinion.  I was wrong because my opinion was different from my supervisors.

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Our building has a lot of big personalities.  In order to collaborate at a high level, we all need to be able to put our own personal thoughts and opinions aside.  We need to put our students' success above everything else.

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We need to learn how to truly work together and follow through on our tasks.  Too many times, I see our teams say something is important.  We make a plan and then something happens and it gets pushed to the side. I feel the biggest factor to be successful and achieve goals is time.  We all need time to focus on a task and achieve success.

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The best feedback that I get is specific and comes from people that I trust or respect.  This allows me to reflect on the feedback so that I can make improvements where necessary or continue down the path if things are going well.

Feedback that is non-specific or if the feedback comes from someone that I don’t respect (i.e. the anonymous letter that is mailed to the principal at a school), I tend not to reflect on the feedback as much which makes it less impactful for me.

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For us at the middle school, I think we need a focused goal or small set of goals that are designed with the input of the faculty so that we can begin to implement strategies to try to achieve those goals through collaboration of stakeholders.

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To me, collaboration at a high level requires a true collective commitment from the team directed toward the goals of the group/team.  If each member is not fully committed to the team, it is difficult to achieve the goals at the highest level.  While I may view that from an athletic perspective and see teams that have great chemistry and commitment from the players and they have a much greater chance of success in the long run (e.g. state tournament run) the same holds true for teams of teachers working on academic goals/initiatives for students.  There simply must be strong collective commitment as a foundational piece to collaborating at a high level.

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I believe that a high-level of collaboration is when we change our mindset from hearing to respond to hearing to listen. We need to best listen to understand what and WHY we are hearing what we are from our peers/colleagues. What is the message that others are conveying and how can we best work as a team, a school, a district.

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To best achieve our goals, we need to know the goals of others first, as a grade-level, classroom expectations, etc.

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Best: When the person providing feedback is genuine.

Worst: Personal attacks.

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I feel that the best feedback I have received has been actionable and grounded in facts not feelings.  I can build on that and really understand how I can improve my actions.

I don't do well with feedback that is based on feelings and opinions that cannot be backed up. It feels empty and difficult to change...especially if my own personal feelings or opinions do not align.

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Collaboration at a high level means that there is a lot of clarity around what is being co-labored.  What are the expectations for the products?  How will we evaluate the success of our efforts?  The use of a clear agenda that is useful and followed helps to clarify for all.  When we get our selves out of the way we can focus on what our students need.

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I think we need to have a shared understanding of our mutual goals.  The team needs to feel a part of the goal making and valued in the process.  They need updates and progress reports and then to know how they can contribute.

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At our school, in order to achieve our goals, we must have a shared vision and collaborative goals. Due to continuous turnover in building leadership our vision has gotten murky and disjointed. We need teacher leaders who are revered and respected by their colleagues and for their colleagues to support the visionary goals of the administrative/building leadership team.

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I am a believer that in order to be able to collaborate at a high level, we all must be willing to sacrifice our 'sacred cows' and be more open minded in our conversations and approaches with what is best for students. We must be willing to take risks, try new things, and think outside of the box of what has 'always been done'.

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My best feedback probably came from my principal, my first year of teaching. He was a soft-spoken, yet intimidating man with a wealth of experience. When we sat down in a post conference, we talked about what was positive, what needed some attention, but then he reminded me of my why. He shifted the focus onto what he saw in my classroom that reminded him why he hired me. He left me with a phrase that I will never, ever forget. He said, "If I have the choice between hiring content knowledge or passion for students and learning, I'm hiring passion. Every time." This was a big deal to me as a career switcher, a new teacher, and let me know that while there were understandably some content areas I needed to brush up on, he could tell my passion was in the right place.

My worst advice came from a different place altogether. The advice, so poorly put, was "If someone doesn't like you...you've not tried hard enough to make them." I think I understand where they were coming from, but I do not agree with the premise that I have to make everyone like me. :)

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Worst - on the basketball court and being cursed at by a coach for not cutting off the baseline.

Best - The most memorable was actually in the confessional when wanting to stop using profanity. He gave me advice that I still share with others to this day.

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I feel that is similar to what it takes to achieve our goals. To get to an exemplary level of collaboration, we would first all have to embrace learning for all. That common mission of ensuring student learning will help us collaborate more effectively to find solutions and not just dwell on challenges.

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We need to get to know each other on a more personal level so we can better support each other when times get tough. We must also truly embrace a Learning for All mindset and how important it is to the future of our students. We must have a 'whatever it takes' attitude to help support our students and families when they are in need.

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I will say that few if any of our staff members could state our school goals.

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My long term goal is to add value to other with whom I come in contact. The moral imperative behind that is I have to be at my best and focus on the students and staff who are with me at the moment. I cannot be distracted with other things when my full attention is needed with a student or staff member.

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Best and worst feedback.  My first two evaluatins as a teacher at Merrillville were the worst.  One AP told me how uncomfortable I was with my content area and disconnected from my students when she observed me two years prior.  Problem was it was my first year at MHS and two years prior to that I was teaching at Purdue U.  This AP was as incompetent as they come.  She was caught off guard when I informed her I was unaware that she ever observed me at Purdue.  The second evaluation the following year told me I needed to be more like my dept. chair who had been their for 40+ years and was incredibly intolerant of any student who asked a question during class.  I had not desire to be like that teacher.  

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Best and worst feedback.  My first two evaluatins as a teacher at Merrillville were the worst.  One AP told me how uncomfortable I was with my content area and disconnected from my students when she observed me two years prior.  Problem was it was my first year at MHS and two years prior to that I was teaching at Purdue U.  This AP was as incompetent as they come.  She was caught off guard when I informed her I was unaware that she ever observed me at Purdue.  The second evaluation the following year told me I needed to be more like my dept. chair who had been their for 40+ years and was incredibly intolerant of any student who asked a question during class.  I had not desire to be like that teacher.  

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High level of collaboration? The staff needs to accept that change is necessary and change will beniefit students if we work together to best meet their needs.

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High level of collaboration? The staff needs to accept that change is necessary and change will beniefit students if we work together to best meet their needs.

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What do we need to learn to achieve our goals?  At KVMS we need to learn what our staff wants for our kids.  I know what I want for them.  I am unsure what the staff wants.  

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What do we need to learn to achieve our goals?  At KVMS we need to learn what our staff wants for our kids.  I know what I want for them.  I am unsure what the staff wants.  