Humming Along

Achieving Excellence in Teaching Primary and Secondary Humanities

By Katrina Davey

$39.95

‘For the sake of humanity’.

It's a simple answer to why someone becomes a Humanities teacher, yet it captures the profound responsibility of educators who shape students' empathy, integrity and capacity to make informed decisions about our world's future. Katrina Davey understands this calling intimately – and she also knows the tough situations that can undermine it: out-of-field teachers thrust into unfamiliar subjects, the constant battle for adequate class time and maintaining student engagement during the era of artificial intelligence.

Humming Along is Katrina’s response to the challenges facing Humanities education. Drawing from her successful track record of building thriving faculties, she offers practical strategies that can make teams hum – from helping anxious graduates master multiple disciplines to convincing leadership of Humanities' vital role in developing the ‘heart’ that makes students truly human. With concrete tools for curriculum design, authentic assessment and faculty collaboration, this book provides a roadmap for creating engaging Humanities courses where both teachers and students discover the genuine wonder of exploring our world together.

Also available via Amazon Kindle and iBooks

ISBN: 9781923403383

Size: 254 x 178 mm

Black & white, 208 pages

Published: March 2026

About the author: Katrina Davey

Katrina Davey is a nationally award-winning educator and curriculum writer with two decades of experience transforming Humanities departments across Australia. She holds a Master of Educational Leadership with Distinction and is actively involved with subject associations as a presenter, mentor and resource developer. Through her consultancy work, Katrina helps schools establish engaging Humanities programs and develops transdisciplinary incursions that bring authentic learning challenges to the classroom. A passionate advocate for the teaching profession, she believes wholeheartedly in empowering educators and elevating the status of Humanities education.

Praise/Testimonials

This book captures what makes Humanities teaching truly powerful and transformative. As a Humanities educator, I found it both deeply grounding and personally inspiring. Katrina has produced a resource that affirms the significance of our work and expands our toolkit for engaging students – whether you are a seasoned Humanities expert or an out-of-field teacher. A must for every Humanities department!
Melissa Webb
Head of Humanities, Politics textbook author, business leader

Humming Along is an engaging and informative guide to teaching Humanities. As an experienced primary years educator, I was delighted to learn new ideas for teaching a subject I love. I was also impressed by the thoughtful scaffolding the text provides for beginning or out-offield teachers. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to enrich their Humanities teaching practice.
Dr Rachel Flenley
curriculum writer, educational researcher, primary teacher

Humming Along is an incredibly insightful guide that will no doubt prove indispensable for Humanities teachers. Katrina skilfully combines sound theory with classroom-tested practice, from building a holistic Humanities identity to strengthening student engagement and designing meaningful assessment. With a strong focus on values, concepts and purposeful planning, each chapter offers practical strategies educators can immediately apply, something not always true of this type of book. Thoughtful, grounded and energising, this book will help Humanities departments truly hum with clarity and confidence.
Dr Matt Pitman
Educational leader, Geography teacher, author

This book offers thoughtful observations from an experienced Humanities teacher, shared in a way that feels like a professional conversation rather than a lecture. Many of the ideas prompt useful reflection and would make good starting points for discussion within a department. It doesn’t try to provide all the answers, and at times I found myself wanting to add my own perspective, but that’s also part of its strength. It encourages dialogue rather than prescribing one fixed approach. For schools and staff looking to reflect together and keep students engaged in the powerful subject of Humanities, this resource offers a helpful contribution to the conversation.
Danielle O’Leary
curriculum expert, Geography educator, author