K I S S

As the designer of Kids In Sports Science Math Program, I would love to claim all the credit. However, truth be told, the initial methodology was presented by my grandfather when I was very young. I remember him drawing the X,Y axis in the dirt and showing us kids the secrets of coordinate geometry although he or we didn’t know what coordinate geometry was. But he taught math in his way, he knew kids love to run and when running we were having fun and absorbed what he taught us like sponges. It wasn’t until later in life I realized some of his methods were his alone and not always the proper procedure. However, he made linear equations, Slopes of lines and more fun and captivating. He is the true OG behind Kids In Sports Science.

So right now here’s a tribute to my bestist grandad. Uncle Bub you old gambler we did it we did it.

KISS is an innovative initiative to bridge the gap between athletics and academics. KISS is specifically designed to help students and or athletes who are struggling in mathematics. I can visually show and prove that by integrating math concepts into sports and physical activities, learning becomes more engaging, relevant, and effective for all students.

KISS (KISS bad grades good-bye) is unique as it combines rigorous math instruction with the excitement of sports. I use real-life sports scenarios to teach math concepts, helping students to see the practical application of what they are learning. This approach not only improves their math skills but also enhances their understanding and appreciation of both subjects.

KISS is committed to helping each student-athlete individually reach their full potential, both on the field and in the classroom. We believe that with the right support and resources, every child can succeed in math and in life.

Kids In Sports Science was not designed under clinical conditions. Its design is based on years of my own study, working directly with children "in the trenches"—listening to them, seeing how they work, and finding out exactly what it would take for them to enjoy learning mathematics.

My experiences in electronics, as an athlete, a coach, an amateur sports official and a tutor have led me to the point where I use kinesthetic learning to help the children. This approach is my key and secret sauce: it takes the abstract out of mathematics and places it into real-life situations. Children can physically construct, measure and solve rectangles and triangles. They can see the diameter of circles. They can calculate and see the area of a shape.

Through kinesthetic learning, I found a way to get a student to that crucial "I get that" moment. That moment, in turn, is what will get them to the point where they thirst to learn more math.

To get a child to that point, I must find the first missing piece in their academic foundation. I found that general tests really do not provide the accurate information that KISS needs to be effective. I had to design something more accurate—a method to pinpoint the exact area where a child's math understanding starts breaking down.

The only effective way I found to do this is one-on-one. The process involves giving a child a succession of problems until we reach the point where we SEE the breakdown in math understanding.

Once we find that breakdown point, the "healing process" can begin.

We would show them the math on a grid. We would have them "walk through it." We would have them run through an obstacle course, get a cone, and place it on the answer to a math problem related to that lesson. This would be repeated over and over until the child gets it.

Then, we can show that child exactly how the missing piece we just solved fits into their present-day classroom situation.

This is a way to help the child fight a "two-front war:

First, the Diagnostics to find the gap.

Second, our Process of kinesthetic explanation, practice, and retention checks.

Third, the Rule: We would not go any further until that one piece is solved and mastered.

From there, we can help the children who are behind win that war.

This leads to how KISS can help teachers. Imagine a teacher who gets a new student in their algebra class. That child, passed on due to district mandates, cannot divide fractions. If a student can't divide fractions, they have very little chance of being an A student in algebra. Until that is fixed the student is going to definitely have problems, which usually leads to a student falling further and further behind and in some cases dropping out.

No one can predict how long it will take to fix this, and the teacher simply does not have the time or resources to go back and remediate every student who needs it. I’m my emphatic opinion, it is mathematically impossible for teachers to remediate all the students who need it and simultaneously fulfill the curriculum mandates of the school district. It is an impossible process we expect them to do.

School districts have tried administrative edicts, like remedial work before and after school, but these have limited success as students are reluctant to attend.

This leads another alternative, the community. In our communities' athletic programs exist for every season and sport. A lot of the students who participate in these programs are the same students who are behind in class, causing distractions, and having discipline problems.

I've found the main reason they act this way is that they don't understand the academic material they are faced with. So, they give up.

This is the showcase of the solution

We can initiate programs in the community—right where these kids are already playing—where they can have athletic achievement, get physical exercise, and also get math instruction intertwined with their physical activity.

On this same site, we can have tutors ready to help them fight that "two-front war": remediating their missing pieces and helping them keep up with their present-day classroom work.

We can do this all on-site at the practice. The coaches are already there. The students are already there. We can bring in tutors who are willing to devote their time.

If school districts could find a way to let us know which kids are having problems, we can create this community-based infrastructure to be there and ready to help them.

We must include the critical part that parents play when they get directly involved in their child's education.

There is no one on this Earth that that child wants to impress more than his parents—not the coaches, not the teachers, not his friends, not even the grandparents.

I give the parents a minimum of five questions. What they do is just ask their child to come solve the five problems, and then they just tell me, "Hey, he got all of them right," so I know we can go on. Or they say, "He missed one," and then I ask which one. Or, "He missed two," and I ask which two.

We take it from there and we correct that. What we do is get direct information from the parent to help this child.

This is how we win. We stop asking teachers to do the "mathematically impossible" alone. We stop letting students give up. Instead, we create a new team—a team of coaches, tutors, and parents—and we meet these kids right where they are, on the field. By using a proven, one-on-one diagnostic and kinesthetic process, we can find the exact "missing piece," heal it, and empower that student to win the "two-front war" in their classroom. This program isn't just about math; it's about building a community infrastructure that refuses to let a child fail.

So I implore you to please, please join me on a math journey for our children that is now and forever will be priceless.

Andre Detrick

President

KIDS IN SPORTS SCIENCE

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