Teaching for Exceptionalities Essay Example

Teaching for Exceptionalities Essay Example Teaching for Exceptionalities Essay Teaching for Exceptionalities Essay Teaching for Exceptionalities First Heading Education is one of the top concerns of millions in the country for all children of all ages and any complications or barriers they may have. At one point children were not only divided by age and level of knowledge but also by their disabilities. Teachers who taught special education to children with disabilities had to be certified to be allocated to teaching children with all types of disabilities. With each passing year, as the number of children being educated increases, teachers who may have never had the pleasure of teaching children with disabilities are now being tasked with educating them and understand how to incorporate lesson plans that is successful not only for themselves but as well as their regular students and those with disabilities (Ogletree, Billy T. 2000). Physical disabilities are typically the easiest disability that are visible to others and can be noticed immediately (Landers Courtade Ryndak 2012). During the practicum hours and interaction with students of the summer program at Kyrene de la Esperanza Kids Klub, the author was able observe how the children with physical disabilities were able to interact with other children and not allow their disability to impact their performance as much as possible. Considering the observation was completed during summer vacation there wasn’t much curricular or academic lessons taught on a daily basis but the summer camp incorporated some teaching ideas as much as they possibly could to allow the students to still learn while having fun. One of the activities that were played was a physical/math exercise called Place Value Math which the children loved. To play the game there were cones labeled with numbers 0-9. The children were then paired up and one would decide to be the â€Å"tens† and the other child would be the â€Å"ones†. The object was to have the teacher yell out math problems and together the students would come up with the answers and divide up to go to the cone that identified their â€Å"tens† numbers or â€Å"ones† number. For example, the teacher would yell out â€Å"7+8† since the answer is 15 the child who was designated to the â€Å"tens† would run over to the cone marked â€Å"1† while the other student who was designated as the â€Å"ones† would run over to the cone marked â€Å"5†. The author was able to observe the children participating in Place Value Math exercise during two separate observations days and noticed that not all children were up to speed or on the same level as other children. The game was played with children between the second and fifth grade, so the math skills of some students weren’t as advanced as others but not to any fault of their own or disabilities. The author figured that it would be beneficial to either divide the game between grade levels and keep the math questions consistent for all of the children’s level, or only include math questions of the youngest child so they wouldn’t become discouraged and quit. Another accommodation that was noticed by the author was that some children couldn’t hear as well as others and needed the teacher to shout the math problem slightly louder or even repeat the problem several times before allowing the children to run to the designated comes. Finally the last accommodation was for the children who were physically disabled, one student had a disability with his leg (one leg was visibly shorter than the other leg and he had gone through several surgeries as a child) that didn’t allow him to move as fluently as the other children and another student only had the use of one of her arms (one had been amputated when she was four years old from a car accident). The accommodation to the children with physical disabilities was to eliminate any competition for racing to the cones, simply getting the answer correct as a team would result in points given out. After making the accommodations the teachers were able to see an immediate change and increase of students participating because they felt like they actually had a chance of understanding the game rules and being successful while playing. Going forward the teachers and the author both agreed that the changes were extremely successful and the activity should be continued with the new changes because all students of all ages could be involved and join in on the fun. The most interesting aspect of the observation and making changes to the activity was that they author realized that over time all lesson plans and activities would need to be modified at some point to keep up with the all the different students and their levels of knowledge. Teachers of all subjects and specialties including special education teachers should always be looking for ways to prefect their lesson plans and activities once they see a need to make changes so that each student walks away feeling as if they have a clearer understanding of material and their knowledge increases to the level it needs to. Being able to interact with students that have disabilities provides a different level of understanding on how to deliver lesson plans regardless if they are math related, writing related or physical education related. Teachers want to ensure that their lesson plans are able to adequately instruct each of their students throughout their entire career of being a teacher, and when that doesn’t happen teachers definitely need to make immediate changes. Teachers should try to implement lesson plans that are prepared to teach any student they may encounter through several semesters with very little, to no modifications required on their behalf. Having lesson plans that could be taught to children with or without disabilities and be successful is the goal of millions of teachers and teachers of the future. References Dorries, Bruce Haller, Beth (2001). The News of Inclusive Education: A Narrative Analysis. Disability and Society, Vol. 16 (Issue 6), pg 871-89,1 21 pages. Retrieved on August 3, 2012 from http://ehis. ebscohost. com. library. gcu. edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=13de37cc-368c-4eff-a438-a4cfb85bfdb6%40sessionmgr13vid=4hid=102 Ogletree, Billy T. (2000). Educating Children with Multiple Disabilities. Education Treatment of Children Vol. 23 Issue 1, pg. 96-98 2 pages. Retrieved on August 3, 2012 from http://ehis. ebscohost. com. library. gcu. edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=13de37cc-368c-4eff-a438-a4cfb85bfdb6%40sessionmgr13vid=4hid=22 Harp, Beverly Harrison, Elizabeth Jones, Melissa Kleinert, Harold Sheppard-Jones, Kathleen (2012). Students with Intellectual Disabilities going to College? Absolutely! Teaching Exceptional Children Vol. 44 Issue 5, p26-35 10 pages. Retrieved on July 12, 2012 from http://ehis. ebscohost. com. library. gcu. du:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=59cdfe93-7131-436b-835d-3d9b4cdf3479%40sessionmgr110vid=4hid=101 Landers, Eric Courtade, Ginevra Ryndak, Diane (2012). Including Students With Severe Disabilities in School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports: Perceptions of State Coordinators, Research Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities Vol. 37 Issue 1 p1-8 8 pages. Retrieved on July 20, 2012 from http://ehis. ebsco host. com. library. gcu. edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer? sid=451e3ffd-0f17-4955-b45a-be4e2c4226e2%40sessionmgr15vid=8hid=3

Language of Argument in the Real World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Language of Argument in the Real World - Essay Example healthcare reform in 2010 makes it mandatory for each individual to have their own health care insurance. Even though the low-income families are entitled to receive subsidies from the federal government (Kaiser Family, 2012); the average-income families who do not have access to an employer-sponsored healthcare plan are obliged to pay for their own healthcare insurance (Galewitz, 2010). In the end, this issue brings out criticism with regards to social justice and fairness of this particular healthcare reform. When writing an argumentative paper that aims to convince the readers about the adverse socio-economic consequences of the U.S. healthcare reform in 2010, the writer should make use of persuasive synthesis using the rhetorical theory. In general, the main purpose of rhetorical communication is to persuade other people by being able to apply a rational and logical reasoning with regards to a particular scenario. Aside from the use of logical reasoning, it is equally important on the part of the writer to show unbiased opinion with regards to this subject matter. Therefore, the writer should be able to present not only the benefits but also the consequences of implementing the healthcare reform. By considering the target audiences’ opinion and outlook in life, the writer can create a paper that can effectively convince other people why this particular healthcare reform can only benefit a small group of individuals at the expense of the general public and the private sectors. Dunham, W. (2010, March 22). Overhauling the U.S. healthcare system, the most costly in the world, has been a high priority for President Barack Obama since he took office in January 2009. Retrieved from

Leading an Engineering Project Team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leading an Engineering Project Team - Essay Example The skill to motivate is an essential component of that. A personal leadership experience is used in this essay to discuss the various components of leadership (e.g. communication, rational thinking, leadership styles, etc.) that are integral to leading project teams. Leadership and Communication The author has recently been assigned to an engineering project in Dubai as an electrical supervisor. He belongs to a team of contractor whose job was to assemble and commission an 800-ton crane project. One of his responsibilities as an electrical supervisor is getting the electrical works done from shipyard supervisors and electricians through efficient communication. Since the workers who carry out the tasks of the project usually have almost all the information, managers must gain their opinions or feedback to enhance decision making, confidence, efficiency, processes, and, eventually, organisational productivity, strength, and sustainability. As mentioned by Walker (2010), upward commun ication â€Å"has to be constantly fostered and reinforced, so that people see it’s something that’s valued† (p. 98). Project leaders must evaluate the formal communication system to determine where there are problems in communication that could detrimentally impact the organisation’s general wellbeing. ... Some of the members feel anxious when talking to their supervisors. In order to resolve such issues, employees must be persuaded to assess and understand both procedures and outcomes. Self-evaluation and feedback from other members of the team and supervisors would be very useful (Bass & Bass 2009, 313). It must be stressed to the members that an attention to abilities is the integral component of enhancing communication with their supervisors. Successful outcomes rely on the skills of the members of the team. Everybody recognises the need for managers to possess the abilities to communicate with employees. Yet, many employees ignore the value of abilities when communicating with their manager. Since the engineering project is big but fairly simple, the traditional communication approach may be useful. This model is highly applicable to teams working with a project supervisor. Downward communication is simple and fast. But upward communication could provide more benefits to projects composed of only a few teams (Bass & Bass 2009, 453). The decision-making process could be hastened by the electrical supervisor provided that the other members of the team are ‘properly behaved.’ An upward communication strategy could be used by the electrical supervisor to the project’s advantage since he and the other members of the team were all from the same country, sharing a common language. Leading Successful Teams Project leadership has to be realistic and concentrate on performance outcomes. Even though project leaders still carry out numerous roles, such as making schedules of work activities, discussing work allocation, etc., they function more as mentors, guides, and coordinators. Project leaders

This Experiment Marcet Boiler Engineering Essay

This Experiment Marcet Boiler Engineering Essay In This experiment a Marcet boiler was used to conduct the relationship between a saturated pressure and temperature of water in the range of 0-14 bar indicating in the gauge and also to determine the temperature of a body when being heated or cooled. When the temperature increases pressure also increases in this case the relationship between pressure and temperature is directly proportional. Assumption was made that the temperature is uniform throughout the boiler and the outside surface temperature of the boiler is the same as the steam temperature. Theoretically, the values from the steam table should almost be the same with the recorded values. In this case, if the values are not the same then this is due to error that was made in the experiment. The experiment was performed carefully and all procedure was followed to get accurate result. First of all the startup procedure is to fill water in Marcet boiler and the water level is half of the boilers height. Then the supply switch was turned on. It is important to remove the air in the boiler in this case the valve would be open from the start up of the experiment When the temperature increases to 100Â °C, the steam is allowed to come out from the valve for few seconds and close the valve. Record the steam temperature and pressure reaches 14 bars. Introduction Thermodynamics is the study of heat and in relation in other form of work and energy between a system and its surrounding; in this case the property in the system will change. Generally ideal gas obeys the equation of state which is showed below. PV= When energy is increased in the water .the molecules in the water that is increasing will enable the molecules to escape from the surface until it is in equilibrium (boiling point). The state of equilibrium depends on the pressure in the surface of the water. When the pressure is low it is easier for the molecules to leave the water with less energy. The Marcet boiler is used to investigate the relationship pressure and temperature in saturated steam for comparison with the steam table .the experiment slope (dT/dp) is obtained water at saturated temperature Theory The Marcet boiler is used to investigate the between pressure and temperature of saturated steam, in equilibrium with water, at all pressures between atmospheric and a 14bar An ideal gas can be characterized by three state variables: absolute pressure (P), volume (V), and absolute temperature (T). The relationship between them may be deduced from kinetic theory and is called the Ideal Gas law. The ideal gas law was originally determined empirically and is simply. and hf + hfg = hg Æ’Å ¾ hf as vg >> vf In which, vf = specific volume of saturated liquid vg = specific volume of saturated vapor hf = enthalpy of saturated liquid hg = enthalpy of saturated vapor hfg = latent heat of vaporization Equipment Procedure Fill up water half the height of the boiler Ensure the valve is opened Connect the boiler to the electrical switch The boiler is heated up to 100Â °c and the steam will come out of the open valve Close the valve after 1 minutes to ensure that the air in the boiler is out and continues heating When the pressure start rising , start the stop watch Record all the temperature readings at different pressure with time Pressure must not exceed 14 bar Discussion The theory can be compared with the experiment where pressure and temperature are directly proportional to each other When a water is heated in a container to a boiling point the tempreture increases and presussre also increase in the case where the steam is closed in a cylinder, Their will be internal pressure in the container and also internal forces. it is shown in the graph that tempreture is relatively proportional to pressure In the table error was zero because the decreasing tempreture of the boiler was not noted down therefore erro is unknown . assuming the decreasing tempreture is considered the the error percentage would now exceed 10% because the experiment was done in a closed system so no amount of volume will escape It was important to remove the air from the boiler to avoid flaws of readings . Marcet boiler is used in plant steam industries, power plant, cooking utensil and so on Conclusion in the experiment, it shows from the table and theory that temperature and pressure is relatively proportional in balance with water Disgracing some negligible faults, this experiment can be consider successful, to improve the result of the experiment, it should be carried out at room temperature switching off all the air-conditions, and also by repeating the experiment and taking the average value. If some insulation were kept on theMarcet boiler to reduce heat loss, the experiment could be more accurate

Liberal Nature of Indian State Essay

The state is being perceived as an â€Å"organised structural and institutional whole† epitomizing the power relations of society. The state in a developing society arise from historical factors and interacts with society through its decisive role in the economic process of the nation. To study the nature of any particular state, it is necessary to analyse to relation between state, power, and social classes and the purpose of the state. The liberal democratic form stands on the foundation of democracy. The liberal critique of the Indian state can be read in the writings of Rajni Kothari, Atul Kohli, The Rudolphs, Gunnar Myrdal. The state is associated with modernity. The idea of nation is also linked with the state and is encompassed within it. The liberal movement did not develop in India, as in Europe, in response to the challenge of aggression of king but after a long anti-colonial struggle against the British Raj which culminated in the Partition of India and its Independence in 1947. The Constitution which was drawn up shortly after was essentially liberal in character. It was a product of the Western impact through British rule and contributed to India’s constitutional and political development. The constitution declared it as a sovereign socialist republic democratic country. Thus, Indian state is characterized as a liberal democratic model which provides for separation of powers and fundamental rights to the people. Moreover India is a representative form of government, where elections are held on the basis of universal adult franchise. Ram Mohan Roy, with whom the history of Indian liberalism begins, showed great concern for social reform and the upliftment of women, education as a means of social transformation, freedom of press and no censorship, all of which were inherited by the great liberals of India. Jawaharlal Nehru, ‘the chief architect’ of the modern Indian State,  considered the state to be the ‘trustee and guardian’ of the Indian people by looking after democratic aspirations and providing economic welfare. The influence of Nehru in the Indian state can be seen in the economic front, as it adopted the socialist path of development with a focus on planning for economic development. India’s liberalism in the modern period may best be described as a re-articulation, a re-articulation that was undoubtedly called forth by the new knowledge, enlightenment, political institutions and social patterns which Britain brought with her. The liberal view of the state is typically strong. Institutional strength is key in this and state and society remains separate. The state has to remain relatively autonomous from society. Legitimacy is also an important part of the liberal state, and this term started to be used in India especially during the 1975 emergency. India has been characterised as a ‘soft’ and ‘weak’ state by Gunnar Myrdal. The problem of a soft state is the crisis of legitimacy. Liberal critics have characterised India as a liberal state with strong institutions of the Parliament, independent judiciary, executive, along with fundamental rights and directive principles of state policy. Rajni Kothari argued that the Indian state sought to legitimise itself as an order-maintaining institution. The Nehruvian model succeeded during Nehru’s time, but gradually the masses awakened and pressure for redistributive politics grew. Moreover the state was becoming more centralised and lost its mediating structures of the party system. Ashis Nandy, an Indian political psychologist, envisaged the state as a protector of the interests of the Indian people from outsiders. Although, he noted that the state itself subjected the masses to oppression through institutional structures. He argued that it was preferable as the oppression worked from within and not arbitrarily. Atul Kohli explains the Indian state through its paradoxical apparatus of state government arising from growth of centralisation and powerlessness at the centre. Centralisation erodes the legitimacy of the state and its developmental power. Gunnar Myrdal criticized the inability of the state to enforce public policies to eradicate poverty or to enforce laws and dubbed the institutional model of the Indian state as â€Å"soft state†. According to Myrdal, the Indian state was soft as it had no power to rectify institutions that stood in the way of reform and development. As a result, it could not tackle the institution of caste directly, take measures of effective land reform, eradicate corruption or enforce ideas of development effectively through the people. One consequence of this softness has been the growth of left-wing extremism, which Manmohan Singh called the â€Å"gravest internal threat† to the country’s security. Myrdal’s ‘hard state’ would have been able to tackle Naxalism which has gravely affected the nation. The liberal approach focuses on institutions and processes to understand state and political power in India. The state is considered the central instrument of social progress and principal agent of transformation. According to the Rudolphs, there are two groups characterised in the Indian state, one being the ‘owners of production’ and the other being the ‘labourer’ group. They analysed the state as a mediator between these two conflicting groups, and in doing so, must remain autonomous in order to maintain structural unity of the state. The role of the state would hence be the â€Å"third actor†. The Rudolphs believe in the capability of India to become a strong state, unlike the weak state that Myrdal argued. The Rudolphs’ liberal perspective was directed at constitutional strength and legitimacy, citizen as an abstract category, and institutional strength in the form of bureaucracy which defined the identity of liberalism in the  Indian state. The bureaucracy played an important role in policy making and reflects good governance. The expertise of the members would provide efficient decision making. Liberal institutionalists believe in strengthening institutions to achive a strong state through legitimacy. This extra autonomy of legitimacy derived from law and ability to rule gets rid of the crisis of legitimacy which is a problem of the Soft State as Myrdal puts it. Before the emergence period of 1975, India had a paradoxical apparatus of state government. The excess power in the centre made the peripheries unstable, causing the core and periphery to constantly break in tussle. This led to a loss of faith from the people’s side, and re-institutionalising of the state during Indira Gandhi’s time. The bureaucracy also faces criticisms on account of maintaining neutrality arises if every rule is made by experts. And if the state becomes too reliant on expertise, it becomes idealist in nature. The Rudolph’s Command Polity talks about the state becoming the utmost power. The Rudolphs pointed out that India is a state that works and derives its legitimacy from demand.This polity in India gave way to crisis. State is not an entity which has always remained stab le. Reflection of individual liberties are a part of democratic liberalism. Demands from the lower class have to be included to maintain stability. The Marxist view sees the Indian state as a bourgeois state – where the benefits are only with the big industrialists and rich farmers. Though this nature does not completely dominates the state it exercises a powerful influence over the Indian state. India has a highly plural society marked by various ethnic groups of different language and different religion. After independence India has experienced difficulty to maintain its unity. But growth of violence, regionalism, poverty, slow development of economy has questioned the working  of Indian state and its nature. The impact of social rule is visible in India. Recently, faith in democratic, institution, redistributions, justice and secularism seems to be eroded in Indian state. However, the state continues to solve conflicting interest and development problem. Threats to individual freedom make it necessary for individuals to organise for civil liberties and constantly explore new realms for free expression. To create stability, the Indian state has to be strong. Thus today’s India stands as a political and economic paradox of a rich – poor nation with a weak – strong state. BIBLIOGRAPHY Indian Government and Politics- Sunder Raman Indian Political System – M.P Singh & Roy The Centrist Future of Indian Politics – Susanne Rudolph and Lloyd Rudolph

Moet and Chandon

Saturday, March 23, 13 The World’s most LOVED Champagne Saturday, March 23, 13 History & Background ?Part-holder of LVMH (66% share in M&C) ? Established in 1743 by Claude Moet – as Moet et Cie (Moet&Co. ) – for wine trading ? Began business in 1750 by supplying the Royal Court at Compiegne ? In 1750 also shipping to Germany, Spain, Eastern EU, and colonial British America ? In 1972, Jean-Remy Moet (grandson) has begin the winery production by buying vineyards; ? While the French Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon, mastered double-fermentation for creating champagne Now owns more than 2,500 acres vineyards ? Produce approx 26M bottles of champagne annually ? Accounts for approx 25% of global champagne market (by volume) Saturday, March 23, 13 LVMH brands Saturday, March 23, 13 Moet at a Glance ?4 Main Products ? Moet Imperial ? Rose Imperial ? Nectar Imperial ? Moet Ice Imperial ? Grand Vintage ?Plus other vintage and special limited-edition champagnes Saturday, Marc h 23, 13 Moet at a Glance ? In-media appearance ? Slogan: Be Fabulous ? Print ads ? of? cial website ? Facebook ? YouTube ? Twitter ? iOS applications Saturday, March 23, 13Moet at a Glance ? Marketing situation ? Perceived to be the most prominent brand in online world (partly due to extensive online advertising and Roger Federer) ? The biggest export market is UK but the consumption volume is slightly declining Saturday, March 23, 13 Strategy ? Glocal strategy – in 2011, began to grow grapes in Northwest China with farm operator Ningxia Nongken Will be China’s ? rst-time-ever made in China Champagne Aim to capture Asia market esp China and India – with joint venture approach Has done this for the U. S. for 30 yrs ald (sells in the U. S. nder brand Roederer Estate, Chandon) Grow business by encouraging younger audience to engage with the brand ? ? ? ? â€Å"In the Night† concept of brand communication (in cinema platform) using movie stars and reference for celebration To achieve â€Å"Champagne of Cinema† image, Moet appears in various hollywood movies and at international ? lm festivals, private dinners, parties and premieres Boost sports alignment via Roger Federer ? ? ? Saturday, March 23, 13 Main Competitors ?Veuve Cliquot et Ruinart (LVMH) ? Remy Cointreau (Piper-Heidsieck) ? BCC (Boizel Chanoine Champagne) ?Pernot-Ricard (Perrier-Jouet et Mumm) Saturday, March 23, 13 Key Persons Bernard Arnault (Bernard Jean Etienne Arnault) LVMH director Saturday, March 23, 13 Key Persons Stephane Baschiera, president and chief executive of Moet & Chandon (since Mar 2012) ? Stephane Baschiera joined Moet Hennessy, the wines and spirits division of LVMH, in 1996 and since then has been Commercial Director of Moet Hennessy Diageo France, Director of Moet Hennessy in Italy, and then Chief Executive Of? cer of the Maison Ruinart. ? Since 2009, he has held the position of Chief Executive Of? er of the Maison Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin, and h as contributed to the excellent performance of the Maison since that time. About Jean-Marc Lacave, former CEO Jean-Marc Lacave will become Chief Executive Of? cer of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. Jean-Marc Lacave joined the Watches & Jewelry division of the LVMH group in the United Kingdom in 2001. Since 2007 he has been Chief Executive Of? cer of Watches & Jewelry in Asia. Saturday, March 23, 13 Moet & Chandon Organization chart Saturday, March 23, 13 Hot Issues ? In Dec, 2012, Roger Federer became brand ambassador (in place of Scarlett Johansson, former BA signed in 2009) In Sept, 2013, will serve as the of? cial champagne of the 34th America’s Cup (sailing’s most prestigious international race) ? Signal tht M&C targeting at hi-so sports sectors – with concept Champagne of Victory ? In 2012, was analyzed to be loosing brand value (declined by 13% or ? over $500 million) – brand value at $3. 8 billion (98th rank – fall from 77th at $4. 3billion in 201 1) Might due to the emerging part of the world that do not yet associate champagne with celebration ? Recently opened White 1921, a boutique hotel in St. Tropez ? Recently launched celebrity-hosted tours worldwide Saturday, March 23, 13

How Fast Could Dinosaurs Run

If you really want to know how fast a given dinosaur could run, theres one thing you need to do right off the bat: Forget everything youve seen in the movies and on TV. Yes, that galloping herd of Gallimimus in Jurassic Park was impressive, as was that rampaging Spinosaurus on the long-since-canceled TV series  Terra Nova. But the fact is that we know virtually nothing about the speed of individual dinosaurs, except for what can be extrapolated from preserved footprints or inferred by comparisons with modern animals—and none of that information is very reliable. Galloping Dinosaurs? Not so Fast! Physiologically speaking, there were three major constraints on dinosaur locomotion: size, metabolism, and body plan. Size gives some very clear clues: Theres simply no physical way that a 100-ton titanosaur could have moved faster than a car looking for a parking space. (Yes, modern giraffes are vaguely reminiscent of sauropods, and can move speedily when provoked—but giraffes are orders of magnitude smaller than the biggest dinosaurs, not even approaching a single ton in weight). In contrast, lighter plant-eaters—picture a wiry, two-legged, 50-pound ornithopod—could run significantly faster than their lumbering cousins. The speed of dinosaurs can also be inferred from their body plans—that is, the relative sizes of their arms, legs, and trunks. The short, stumpy legs of the armored dinosaur Ankylosaurus, combined with its massive, low-slung torso, point to a reptile  that was only capable of running as fast as the average human being can walk. On the other side of the dinosaur divide, theres some controversy about whether the short arms of Tyrannosaurus Rex would have vastly constrained its running speed (for example, if an individual stumbled while chasing its prey, it might have fallen down and broken its neck!) Finally, and most controversially, theres the issue of whether dinosaurs possessed endothermic (warm-blooded) or ectothermic (cold-blooded) metabolisms. In order to run at a fast pace for extended periods of time, an animal must generate a steady supply of internal metabolic energy, which usually necessitates a warm-blooded physiology. Most paleontologists now believe that the vast majority of meat-eating dinosaurs were endothermic (though the same doesnt necessarily apply to their plant-eating cousins) and that the smaller, feathered varieties may have been capable of leopard-like bursts of speed. What Dinosaur Footprints Tell Us About Dinosaur Speed Paleontologists do have one strand of forensic evidence for judging dinosaur locomotion: preserved footprints, or ichnofossils, One or two footprints can tell us a lot about any given dinosaur, including its type (theropod, sauropod, etc.), its growth stage (hatchling, juvenile, or adult), and its posture (bipedal, quadrupedal, or a mix of both). If a series of footprints can be attributed to a single individual, it may be possible, based on the spacing and depth of the impressions, to draw tentative conclusions about that dinosaurs running speed. The problem is that even isolated dinosaur footprints are phenomenally rare, much less an extended set of tracks. There are also many difficulties in interpreting the data. For example, an interlaced set of footprints, one belonging to a small ornithopod and one to a larger theropod, may be construed as evidence of a 70-million-year-old chase to the death, but it may also be that the tracks were laid down days, months, or even decades apart. Some of the evidence leads to more certain interpretation: The fact that dinosaur footprints are virtually never accompanied by dinosaur tail marks support the theory that dinosaurs held their tails off the ground when running, which may have slightly boosted their speed. What Were the Fastest Dinosaurs? Now that weve laid the groundwork, we can come to some tentative conclusions about which dinosaurs were the flat-out fastest. With their long, muscular legs and ostrich-like builds, the clear champions were the ornithomimid (bird mimic) dinosaurs, which may have been capable of reaching top speeds of 40 to 50 miles per hour. (If bird mimics like Gallimimus and Dromiceiomimus were covered with insulating feathers, as seems likely, that would be evidence for the warm-blooded metabolisms necessary to sustain such speeds.) Next in the rankings would be the small- to medium-sized ornithopods, which, like modern herd animals, needed to sprint quickly away from encroaching predators. Ranked after them would be feathered raptors and dino-birds, which could conceivably have flapped their proto-wings for additional bursts of speed. What about everyones favorite dinosaurs: large, menacing meat-eaters like Tyrannosaurus Rex, Allosaurus, and Giganotosaurus? Here, the evidence is more equivocal. Since these carnivores often preyed on relatively pokey, quadrupedal  ceratopsians and hadrosaurs, their top speeds may have been well below whats been advertised in the movies: 20 miles per hour at most, and perhaps even significantly less for a fully grown, 10-ton adult. In other words, the average large theropod may have exhausted itself trying to run down a grade-schooler on a bicycle. This wouldnt make for a very thrilling scene in a Hollywood movie, but it more closely conforms to the hard facts of life during the Mesozoic Era.