Schools
North Hills Instructor PA Teacher Of The Year Finalist
Middle school teacher Joe Welch is the only Allegheny County finalist for the award.
ROSS TOWNSHIP, PA - The honors keep rolling in for North Hills Middle School instructor Joe Welch. Named 2018 National History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, he now is a 2020 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year finalist.
Welch is one of 12 finalists for the award and the only one from Allegheny County. The Pennsylvania Department of Education will announce the winner at an awards ceremony in December.
Welch, an eighth-grade social studies teacher, was chosen for his dedication and commitment to providing his students with the highest quality education and his contributions to public education. He was nominated for the award by fellow middle school teacher Larry Dorenkamp and North Hills parent Carlene Bensch.
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Welch's philosophy for teaching history, which was included in the application process, is based on students creating stories and publishing content. His students have the opportunity to create animated videos, remix songs to analyze an era of American history, create illustrated children’s books to explain primary sources and intertwine augmented reality to create gallery walks of presidential administrations.
Welch has presented at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference on numerous occasions, as well as the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference and the Association for Middle Level Education national conference. He also has presented at state conferences, including the AIU's Social Studies Symposium and Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference.Find out what's happening in North Hillsfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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