Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Exploring Culture

As far as exploring culture goes, I have learned the importance of educating yourself on things that may be different from me. I learned about how things differ in America, Spain, Columbia, etc…Our online textbook Contraseña gave me as a student an opportunity to learn about and research other countries and our differences.

This is just one of many examples of learning to immerse myself into different cultures. Here you can see that the textbook is encouraging me to dig deeper into simple things like what kinds of different foods are eaten in America and in Columbia. Even this was eye opening for me, because again, it is a snippet and quick view into how people in different countries live can live differently and still live well. Foods in Columbia were very different, but they sounded delicious and helped me see how there is more outside of my little “Hampton Roads Bubble”!

Engaging in Communities

I used to work for a company where I had the amazing opportunity to dress up like a Disney Princess and perform at birthday parties for younger kids. It was so much fun, but occasionally I would run into a family that maybe spoke a different language or was from a different culture than me. Spanish has benefited me because it helped me to be able to engage in communities that someone else may have not been able to. I was able to help families and kids be part of the magic even if their language or culture was different from mine. I know that these Spanish Speaking skills will continue to benefit me in the years to come.

Here are photos of me dressed up as Cinderella!

Interpersonal Communication

Participating in my TalkAbroad was so beneficial for me. I was nervous at first, but my partner was amazing, and I learned so much and was so grateful to have had that opportunity. Here is a snippet of the audio from my second conversation with her:

This assignment was very intimidating to me, but I definitely overcame my fear and each conversation with my TalkAbroad partner went extraordinarily well. I made sure to listen closely, look at her expressions, and I tried not to be afraid to ask for clarification. I learned that it is okay to take my time, to take a breath, or go back and fix a mistake. I learned about my partner’s family, home life, hobbies, etc…I was able to learn new vocabulary and get a wonderful cultural and academic experience.

Presentational Speaking

We did not do a whole bunch of Presentational Speaking in this class, but here is a snippet of my video introducing myself at the beginning of the semester:

This assignment I actually found extremely beneficial. Even though it may not seem like it, I felt like I gained a lot of good practice from this assignment. I had to get to know my classmates who I had and probably never will meet in person. We had to respond with videos, and genuinely try to get to know each other is a Presentational Speaking way. This helped me grow in my technological abilities, in my confidence, in coming out of my shell, in my academics, and in my community. It was a good opportunity and much fun.

Presentational Writing

In this class, I had to participate in many Discussion Boards that helped grow my cultural and Spanish Speaking knowledge, here is an example of one:

Here is an example of a Discussion Board I participated in. The topic was challenging and very layered. Sometimes Discussion Boards can be scary because you do not know how people will respond. However, I actually found myself really liking the Discussion Boards and finding the courage to speak my mind, encourage my classmates, educate myself, do the research, dig deeper into the reality of other countries, and how to take feedback.

Interpretive Listening

Here is an example of a FlipGrid. I had to listen to my teacher ask questions, and film myself responding to her. It was a great exercise:

This activity I will say was actually very hard to complete. It definitely made my brain work, and I had to use all of my skills. I had to listen very closely, and I was not able to ask for clarification or for different phrasing. However, this only benefited me because it helped me get my speed up as well as have my vocabulary and conjugations ready to go. Being put on the spot was difficult, but it was a huge helper for when I started having bigger conversations like my TalkAbroad or my Oral Evaluation.

Interpretive Reading

Here is an example of a reading I had to do. This was in our online textbook and helped grow our abilities of reading comprehension:

This helped me grow my skills, because reading in a different language can be beyond difficult. However, I learned that I need to be very intricate and read slowly, I need to pay attention to verb and noun endings, and I need to really make sure I am immersing myself into what I am reading. It can be hard to read in Spanish, but reading in Spanish has definitely been the biggest way I have grown my knowledge of the language and my abilities in it. It has helped me memorize vocabulary or popular phrases and traditions. Being able to read and comprehend in Spanish has helped me with everything else in this class. I am so grateful I have gotten to have this chance to practice.