Adding up to fun: What Eddie Woo wants Newcastle to know about maths

The renowned educator ran interactive sessions to "excite, enthuse and engage" more than 400 students, from primary age through to senior, and several teachers at Newcastle High School on Wednesday.

"Seeing that moment where a student realises they themselves are capable of something that they thought was impossible, that never gets old," he told the Newcastle Herald.

Mr Woo leads the Department of Education's Mathematics Growth Team, which has 14 leaders deployed in public schools across the state, aimed at helping students to understand concepts and better supporting teachers.

"There are so many problems we need to solve that really cannot be solved with any other tools than mathematics," he said.

"I really think that if we're going to be responsible citizens who understand the world that we live in and who make sound decisions about our life - in an election, with our finances - then mathematics is what we need to do those things well."

Mr Woo said it was important for him as an educator to stay at the "chalk-face" of teaching so he could share new ideas with his colleagues in the classroom.

"Not just because I read it in a book or I think it's a good idea, but I've seen it work, I've done this myself, I've made mistakes, I've learnt how to do it effectively, and that authenticity, there's no replacement," he said.

"I think in the classroom, what I love is that mathematics ... is often something which young people encounter and they just think 'I don't know how to do this, I don't have the skill or the knowledge, how is this something which I can actually achieve?' but when you equip a student, you empower them."

Mr Woo was awarded Local Hero at the Australian of the Year Awards in 2018. He started posting videos online in 2012 and soon became a sensation, now with more than 1.8 million subscribers on YouTube.

"If I had to pick one myth to bust about mathematics, it's that mathematics is just about numbers and equations," he told the Herald.

"Of course numbers and equations have a really central role in mathematics, but mathematics is about numbers and equations the way that journalism is about spelling and punctuation.

"It's like, they're there, yes, but actually it's about telling a story, it's about understanding the world we live in and grappling with the problems that matter - that's what I want people to understand about mathematics."