ABSTRACT
As the term evaluation means to empower or strengthen, it should be an integral part of all teachers’ professional growth and development irrespective of career stage. Formative evaluation as interpreted within this dimension involves the systematic exploration and judgement of pedagogical experiences, processes and outcomes in relation to specific goals, developmental needs, perceptions, resources and values. To use Eisner’s (1998: 63) analogy, teachers need to become connoisseurs and critics of their own practice to determine whether what is happening as a result of their teaching is ultimately for the better:
Connoisseurship is the art of appreciation. It can be displayed in any realm in which the character, import, or value of objects, situations, and performances is distributed and variable, including educational practice.
