Evaluation grids for teaching personnel based on professional knowledge models. The case of chemistry teachers

The article presents evaluation grids for teaching staff based on professional knowledge models. The grids were developed for the evaluation of chemistry teachers (both pre-service and in-service). The scientific foundation of these grids is represented by models of pedagogical content knowledge and scientific language knowledge. Understanding how students learn chemistry, instructional strategies, the curricular content needed for lesson planning, and student assessment are components of pedagogical content knowledge that are integrated into the evaluation grids. Among the components of pedagogical knowledge of scientific language included in the grids are: facilitating concept development before introducing scientific language; explicitly presenting scientific terms and language; creating a coherent discursive framework in the classroom; using varied resources and representations; applying scaffolding techniques for developing scientific language; clearly communicating expectations; and using specific methods and tools for teaching and learning scientific language. Currently, in Romania, there are no evaluation grids based on validated models of professional competence. Therefore, the authors believe that publishing these grids could significantly contribute to improving the teacher evaluation process, particularly for those in initial training.