Saturday, February 29, 2020

An Overview of the Sport, Volleyball, Its History, Rules and Regulations, and Famous Volleyball Players

An Overview of the Sport, Volleyball, Its History, Rules and Regulations, and Famous Volleyball Players Volleyball is a fast-paced game in which two teams are separated by a net and compete to volley the ball over the net in an attempt to make the opposing team drop the ball on their side. Volleyball was originally called mintonette and was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan. The game was designed to be a combination of tennis, basketball, baseball and handball. The first volleyball net was actually a tennis net and was only 6’6† high. Morgan originally explained that the object of the game was to keep the ball in movement over a net. There were originally no restrictions on the number of contacts for teams or individual players, no limit to the number of players per side, and no rotation. Since then, volleyball remained mainly unchanged, until 1912, when the first major rules were implemented. The rules were that the number of players on each side was six and that the team was required to rotate positions before serving. By 1920, the game had many more rules implemented, such as the net was raised to eight feet, and the ball could not come to rest in the hands. Volleyball was originally created to be a calm pastime, but has evolved into a sport that is played all over the world by all kinds of people everywhere like in the Olympics, in the park, at the beach, in gym classes and more. Volleyball has many many different rules and regulations. The rules and regulations of volleyball have evolved a lot throughout the years. The rules of volleyball are not difficult to understand, and depending on the level of competition, they can differ. The main objective of the game is to not let the ball hit the floor on your side of the net, at the same time, you must try to get the ball to hit the floor on your opponent’s side of the net. There is a maximum of three contacts per team before they hit it over the net. The three preferred hits are a bump, followed by a set, and then an attack, which will send the ball over the net. Players are also allowed to block the ball as it comes over the net. Blocking does not count as one of the three contacts. Each side must have six players to fill the six different positions that rotated between during the game. The players must rotate clockwise through each position. Players rotate with each new server. The six positions that are rotated through are the left, middle and right front, and the left, middle and right back. The server is in the back right. The scoring method that is used in volleyball is known as â€Å"the rally point system†. The point is gained at the end of the rally when the ball is dropped and the side where the ball has not been dropped gains the point. There are many well known volleyball players. Most famous volleyball players have played in the olympics. One well-known player in the U.S. is Misty May-Treanor, a professional beach volleyball player. She has three olympic gold medals, and has been playing beach volleyball since she was a child. She started her professional career in 1999. Another well-known U.S. player is Karch Kiraly, who is also a professional beach volleyball player and plays indoor volleyball. He won three olympic gold medals, two in indoor and one in beach. Another player in the U.S is Kerri Walsh Jennings. She won three olympic gold medals with Misty May-Treanor in beach volleyball. Walsh Jennings also played indoor volleyball.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

The Usefulness of Cognitive Theories of Learning for Human Resource Essay

The Usefulness of Cognitive Theories of Learning for Human Resource Practitioner - Essay Example The paper tells that nowadays, senior managers tend to invest more money, time, and thought in the learning of their employees, and consider learning and development a strategic HR function Thus, it would be important to comprehend how and why learning takes place. Theories of workplace learning are placed into three main categories; these are psychological, socio-cultural and postmodern theories. Each view has different focus and contribution to different contexts. Various cognitive theories have been put forward including the Piaget developmental stage theory, the Bandura social cognitive theory, and Vysotsky and the Zone of proximal development. All these have a contribution to the development of employees and have been implemented at different levels. Cognitive theories of learning have enhanced employee productivity and effectiveness in most of the areas that they have been applied. Learning is a very important aspect of both individuals as well as organizational development. Le arning is a wide concept that has attracted several definitions from different individuals in different contexts. According to Wilson, learning is the process whereby knowledge, attitude or behavior is changed as a result of formal training and development, or transformation of informal experiences. Many assumptions have been proposed over the years to explain different cognitive approaches. The theories of three outstanding cognitive theorists including Piaget, Vygotsky, and Bandura explain some of the cognitive aspects that are very important when it comes to influencing the workforce in an organization. The development of a person has been a subject of intensive research by psychologists all across the world. One of the outstanding theories in this area is the Piaget developmental stage theory that helps us to understand behavioral development, especially at a young age. According to Piaget’s findings, there are four developmental stages that individuals go through, both o f which are relative to cognitive development. The first is the sensory-motor period in about the first two years when the child can only focus on physical interactions with their immediate environment. Next is the preoperational period from two to seven years old. During this stage, the child develops language skills and is able to think symbolically though still cannot think completely logical and empathetically. The period from seven to eleven years old is called concrete operational stage when the child becomes more rational to solve a simple problem and develops logical thought. The formal operational stage from adolescence through adulthood was Piaget’s fourth stage of cognitive development in children. The child/ adult develop the ability to think theoretically and formulate hypotheses. This theory was immensely influential on education research and policy during the 20th century.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Why does witchcraft continue to intrigue successive generations of Essay

Why does witchcraft continue to intrigue successive generations of Anthropologists - Essay Example They have conducted numerous studies and largely described witchcraft as a psychosocial factor among that exists among societies such as American Indians, early modern Europeans and Africans. The findings have been applied to the study of witchcraft in practices in the earlier and in the contemporary societies. Remarkably, witchcraft plays a significant role in the society, as explained in numerous theories that have been developed by modern and earlier anthropologists. According to Detweiler (1975), numerous theories that have been established by different scholars generally demonstrate that witchcraft acts as a form of social control, serves as a way through which life misfortunes are explained and helps in releasing social tension. These three distinct functions are the reasons as to why witchcraft has intrigued anthropologists throughout since establishment of the discipline of anthropology. This paper looks at these functions of witchcraft in both the modern and in the early soc ieties, as explained by various anthropologists. Discussion Anthropologists have learnt that witchcraft serves as a way of explaining the causes of life misfortunes. Human beings in all societies find explanations for all misfortunes that occur in their lives. In some societies, there are no rational explanations to some disturbing events, using conventional ways. There is high possibility for people in such societies to attribute these events to witchcraft practices. Their thoughts regarding the alternative causes of these events give them logical, coherent explanations which fully or partially satisfy their beliefs. This approach was developed by Evans-Pritchard in his study of Azande witchcraft. Azande is an ethnic group of people that live in Central Africa where they practice agriculture (Evans-Pritchard , 1937). They are famous for their witchcraft called mangu, which plays a significant role in shaping their understanding of the world and occurrences. They believe that some i ndividuals are witches and posses the power of affecting others adversely. This power is believed to be inherited and acts at an unconscious level. The witch is believed to exercise this power physically without conscious intention and without speech or rite. The Azande people attribute most of the misfortunes that occur in their society to witchcraft. In case a misfortune is significant and leads to the suffering of a person, they look for a neighbour of the affected person who might be the source of unfortunate in order to find a resolution. In case they do not find out, they look for a ‘poison oracle’ in order to consults and determine the individual who might be the have caused the misfortune. The members of this society also consult the oracle before engaging in important ventures to determine whether misfortunes will occur. The poison oracle is a chicken which is fed with a particular quantity of poison known as benge. If the chicken or more than one chicken die, this is a sign of misfortune. After the aggressor or the witch is determined, he or she is approached by an intermediary and he or she responds by ‘blowing water’ over the dead chicken’s wing while asserting his or her good intentions towards the harmed person (Evans-Pritchard, 1937). Witchcraft appears in numerous aspects of the Azande and as Evans-Pritchard noted, it plays a role in determining their chances for luck or adversity. Generally, it plays a bog role in explaining particularity of events. Evans-Pritchard illustrates that when an experienced woodcarver splits wood perfectly during his work, the split is