Eddie Woo

Last updated

Eddie Woo
FRSN
Eddie Woo, February 2019 01 (cropped).jpg
Woo in 2023
Born
Edward Kent Woo

1985 (age 38–39)
Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia [1]
Education James Ruse Agricultural High School
Alma mater University of Sydney
OccupationHigh school teacher
Years active2007–present
EmployerNSW Department of Education
Known forOnline mathematics lessons
SpouseMichelle Woo
Children3
Website misterwootube.com

Edward Kent Woo is an Australian secondary school teacher and writer best known for his online mathematics lessons published on YouTube. In 2018, Woo was awarded the Australia's Local Hero Award. [2]

Contents

Early life

Woo's ethnic Chinese parents migrated to Australia from Malaysia around 1970 for better education opportunities for their children. [3] He has an older brother, who works in IT, and an older sister, who is a dentist. [1] Woo studied at the James Ruse Agricultural High School in Sydney and completed his Higher School Certificate in 2003, [3] placing in the top band for Mathematics Extension 1 and English Extension 2. [4] He earned his Bachelor of Education (Honours) in Secondary Mathematics and Information Technology from the University of Sydney in 2008. [5]

Career

Woo started his career with a brief stint as a technology teacher at the Fort Street High School in 2007, before moving to James Ruse Agricultural High School, where in 2008 he held the position of Teacher Mathematics and Technology. He stayed until 2013 before becoming Head Teacher of Mathematics at Cherrybrook Technology High School. [6] Woo remains there as a classroom teacher, but also serves as Leader of Mathematics Growth for the NSW Department of Education. As of 2024, he has taught mathematics for over 16 years. [3] He began filming his classroom lessons in 2012 for a sick student who was absent from school. [7] His YouTube channel has over 1.79 million subscribers and more than 162.73 million views worldwide as of December 2023. [8] In 2018, Woo hosted a show called Teenage Boss on ABC ME, which gave teens control of their family's financial decisions for a month. [9] In June 2018, Woo delivered a TEDx Talk titled "Mathematics is the sense you never knew you had", [10] which garnered a lot of positive attention online.

Woo has so far published two books. The first, titled Woo's Wonderful World of Maths, was published on 25 September 2018. It addresses questions like "Why are rainbows curved?" and "Why aren't left-handers extinct?", with the answer being: maths, and that maths is all about patterns with the universe is extraordinarily patterned. [11] The second, Eddie Woo's Magical Maths, is a children's activity book.

In September 2022, Woo co-hosted high-school television series Ultimate Classroom , an educational STEM competition sponsored by the Australian Defence Force, [12] alongside presenter Stephanie Bendixsen.

Awards

In October 2015, Woo was a joint recipient of the NSW Premier's Prize for Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education. [13]

He was one of ten teachers to win the inaugural Choose Maths Awards on 26 August 2016. [14]

In April 2017, Woo won the 2017 University of Sydney Young Alumni Award for Outstanding Achievement. [3]

In March 2017, he was one of 12 Australian teachers to win a Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award, a prestigious national awards event co-presented each year by the Commonwealth Bank and education charity Schools Plus. [3]

In November 2017, he was named 2018 NSW Local Hero. [15]

Woo gave the Australia Day Address in NSW in 2018, the first time a teacher has done so. [16]

On 25 January 2018, Woo won the Australia's Local Hero Award at the Australian of the Year Awards. [2] [17]

In March 2018, Woo was named a Top 10 Finalist in the Global Teacher Prize. [18]

In May 2019, Woo received an Honorary Fellowship from Western Sydney University. [19]

In September 2019, Woo became a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales. [20]

In February 2021, Woo received the Mathical Honors for It's a Numberful World: How Math Is Hiding Everywhere. [21]

Personal life

Woo is a committed Christian, stating, "We talk about the fact that the universe is designed in this way and you can find all of these patterns; do you think that that's a coincidence? One of the things I love to point out is we call the universe the cosmos which means ordered and structured and designed, as opposed to chaos, and the reason why we can find these mathematical principles is because there was a Designer. We didn't just spring into being. It has immense beauty." [22]

Woo is married and has three children. [3] [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaime Escalante</span> Bolivian educator, teacher and mathematician

Jaime Alfonso Escalante Gutiérrez was a Bolivian-American educator known for teaching students calculus from 1974 to 1991 at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles. Escalante was the subject of the 1988 film Stand and Deliver, in which he is portrayed by Edward James Olmos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Sydney University</span> University in Sydney, Australia

Western Sydney University, formerly the University of Western Sydney, is an Australian multi-campus public research university in the Greater Western region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

The Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete senior high school level studies in New South Wales and some ACT schools in Australia, as well as some international schools in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and Papua New Guinea. It was first introduced in 1967, and is currently developed and managed by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Spencer</span> Australian mathematician, comedian and radio presenter

Adam Barrington Spencer is an Australian comedian, media personality and former radio presenter. He first came to fame when he won his round of the comedic talent search Raw Comedy in 1996. Soon thereafter, he began working at Triple J, on mid-dawn and drive shifts before hosting the Triple J Breakfast Show with Wil Anderson. He later hosted Breakfast on 702 ABC Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravenswood School for Girls</span> Independent, day and boarding school in Gordon, New South Wales, Australia

Ravenswood School for Girls is an independent, Uniting Church, day and boarding school for Prep to Year 12 girls, situated in Gordon, an Upper North Shore suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Technical High School</span> School in Australia

Sydney Technical High School is a state-financed single-sex academically selective secondary day school for boys, located in Bexley, a southern suburb of Sydney situated near the city. Founded in 1911 as part of Sydney Technical College, the school was one of the six original New South Wales selective schools and caters for boys from Year 7 to Year 12. The school is colloquially abbreviated to Sydney Tech, STHS or simply Tech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Ruse Agricultural High School</span> School in Australia

James Ruse Agricultural High School is a government-funded co-educational academically selective and specialist secondary day school, located in the Sydney suburb of Carlingford, New South Wales, Australia, long known for being the highest academically ranked high school in Australia. The school is also one of four New South Wales Government agricultural high schools.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caringbah High School</span> School in Australia

Caringbah High School is a government-funded co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Caringbah, in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The school was opened in 1960 as a co-educational high school and was nominated to become selective in 1989, over the neighbouring Port Hacking High. As of 2021 approximately 907 students were enrolled. Surrounding schools include Endeavour Sports High School, Woolaware High School, and Port Hacking High School. Caringbah High School is the only co-educational selective high school in the Sutherland Shire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penrith Selective High School</span> School in Australia

Penrith Selective High School (PSHS) is a public co-educational academically selective secondary day school, located in Penrith, in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established in 1950 and operated by the NSW Department of Education, the school caters for approximately 925 students from Year 7 to Year 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akshay Venkatesh</span> Australian-American mathematician (born 1981)

Akshay Venkatesh is an Australian-American mathematician and a professor at the School of Mathematics at the Institute for Advanced Study. His research interests are in the fields of counting, equidistribution problems in automorphic forms and number theory, in particular representation theory, locally symmetric spaces, ergodic theory, and algebraic topology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cherrybrook Technology High School</span> Public school in New South Wales, Australia

Cherrybrook Technology High School is a purpose-built government technology high school located in Cherrybrook, a suburb in Sydney, Australia. The school was built in the late 1980s to support the rapid growth of the north-west sector in Sydney. With the school's completion and opening in 1992 the sheer size and capabilities of the school have grown beyond expectations. In 2002, a new two storey building with administration facilities on the ground floor and 12 classrooms on the top level was opened, bringing the permanent housing of the school up to 1250 students. 2009 saw the student population rise to over 2,000 for the first time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Girls High School</span> School in Australia

Sydney Girls High School is a government-funded single-sex academically selective secondary day school located at Moore Park, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davidson High School (New South Wales)</span> School in Frenchs Forest, New South Wales, Australia

Davidson High School (DHS) is a school in Frenchs Forest, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Mimosa Street. It is a co-educational high school operated by the New South Wales Department of Education with students from years 7 to 12. The school was established in 1972 as a result of the growing population in the Frenchs Forest and Belrose areas and is located on a site bounded by heritage-listed remnant bushland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinjarra Senior High School</span> Independent public school in Australia

Pinjarra Senior High School is an independent high school in Pinjarra, a regional centre 86 kilometres (53 mi) south of Perth, Western Australia. The school district covers the Pinjarra and surrounding areas such as Serpentine, Dwellingup, Waroona, North Yunderup and South Yunderup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Simmons</span> British-Australian quantum physicist (born 1967)

Michelle Yvonne Simmons is an Australian quantum physicist, recognised for her foundational contributions to the field of atomic electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punchbowl Boys High School</span> School in Punchbowl, New South Wales, Australia

Punchbowl Boys High School is a public secondary school in Punchbowl, New South Wales, Australia, in Sydney.

Mathspace is an online mathematics program designed for students in primary/elementary, secondary, and higher education. It is designed for students aged between 7 and 18, and is used by schools in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Story Factory</span> Australian not-for-profit organisation

The Story Factory is an Australian not-for-profit organisation designed to help indigenous and disadvantaged school-aged children to develop their writing and storytelling skills. The programs run by the Story Factory aim to help young people, particularly those from a disadvantaged or minority background, develop their confidence, creativity and skills in writing. The Story Factory conducts programs at its two creative writing centres, as short and long term residencies at primary and secondary schools, and as one-off visits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teach For Australia</span> Australian non-profit organization for removing educational inequity in the country

Teach For Australia is a not-for-profit organisation which aims to address educational inequity in Australia. The organisation’s Leadership Development Program recruits "university-educated high achievers" to the classroom as teachers, placing them in eligible partner schools serving low socioeconomic communities for two years. Program participants earn a Masters-level degree in teaching during the two-year program, allowing them to continue to work in school settings following the completion of their placement.

Jacqui Ramagge is an English-Australian mathematician. She is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science at Durham University and Honorary Professor of Mathematics at the University of Sydney. She was born in London, emigrated to Australia in 1991, and returned to the UK to take up the position at Durham University in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 "2018 speaker: Eddie Woo". Australia Day Address. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Australia's Local Hero 2018". Department of Home Affairs. 25 January 2018. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Baillie, Rebecca (1 May 2017). "Meet the maths teacher you wish you had in high school". ABC News. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "2003 Higher School Certificate" . Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "Top teacher Eddie Woo appointed Education Ambassador". The University of Sydney. 13 December 2018. Archived from the original on 23 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  6. ↑ "LinkedIn: Eddie Woo".
  7. ↑ "Eddie Woo". Varkey Foundation. Retrieved 1 April 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ He has 1.74 million subscribers and 156.57 million views, Channel Statistics |website=SocialBlade|access-date=31 July 2023}}
  9. ↑ "Here's what happens when teens take control of the family budget for a month". ABC News. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 23 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Mathematics is the sense you never knew you had | Eddie Woo". TEDxSydney. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "Woo's Wonderful World of Maths - Pan Macmillan AU". Pan Macmillan Australia. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  12. ↑ Knox, David (8 September 2022). "Airdate: Ultimate Classroom". TV Tonight . TV Tonight. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  13. ↑ "Honour Roll – NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer". chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  14. ↑ Mahony, Mikaela (30 August 2016). "Excellence award for Wootube master". Hills News. Fairfax Regional Media. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  15. ↑ Harmer, Wendy; Buck, Robbie (14 November 2017). "Changing minds on maths". Breakfast. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  16. ↑ Smith, Alexandra (18 January 2018). "Maths teacher Eddie Woo to deliver the Australia Day address in NSW". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  17. ↑ "Quantum physicist is Australian of the Year". BBC News. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  18. ↑ "Eddie Woo, Top 10 Finalist Summary" (PDF). Global Teacher Prize. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  19. ↑ Patience, Clare. "Western Sydney University celebrates 20 inspiring individuals during graduations". www.westernsydney.edu.au. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  20. ↑ "Fellows - The Royal Society of NSW". royalsoc.org.au. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  21. ↑ "Mathical Book Prizes 2021" (PDF).
  22. 1 2 Lim, Anne (25 January 2018). "Maths is beautiful... wait, what?". Eternity News. Archived from the original on 22 July 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg One Plus One: Eddie Woo, One Plus One, ABC News
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.