Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Exploring Culture

Each unit we had an exploring culture section where we learned about different topics from various natives 

We learned about the different art forms in different countries and how certain native people felt about them. I love learning about the art of different cultures because it is so similar but so different to my own country. Art is something that connects us all in ways you’d never think of. The art that is available of course depends on where you are in the country. Accessibility and social class play big parts in what type of art you will find in certain areas, lower class you would find more graffiti type art and upper class you would find more high art and museum available to the public.

Engaging in Communities

This semester we engaged with each other in class which was new to me, given last semester all of my classes were online. We were also presented the opportunity to go to a local restaurant and order authentic Mexican food and engage with the community there. 

The experience with the restaurant was the most immersive experience I’ve had while learning Spanish. Having to go in and order my food and interact with the employees in Spanish was a great learning opportunity which really showed me that immersing yourself in the community is the best way to learn. Everyone was so nice and understanding of our responses and encouraged us when our answers were correct. The food was incredible, and it gave me a better understanding of authentic Mexican food compared to our American version.

Interpersonal Communication

Interpersonal communication mostly occurred in the classroom or online. We communicated with our classmates, our teacher, and others online. This type of communication can be the hardest because you can’t really plan what to say because it is based on what someone asks you and how they respond. You can prepare with questions, notecards, or studying certain topics, but it can be very difficult for me to come up with things on the fly. I’d like to think I’ve gotten better, but with this semester being my first semester in person I know I struggled more than others at times.

Presentational Speaking

This semester we gave presentations on an artist and art piece that we researched. We also read aloud the comic we wrote to the class.

I have done many research projects in English about art, so it was a fun new challenge to do it in another language. It was a bit intimidating giving a presentation in Spanish, but I feel I did a good job! Below are the slides from my presentation.

Presentational Writing

In this class we completed many writing assignments including completing a comic, giving a presentation about an artist we learned about and talking about a work of art of theirs that we liked, and writing our own texting conversation using shorthand that we learned. 

My favorite written assignment was the comic. We were given various pictures and had to create our own story. this was difficult because we had to decide what vocabulary to use and make it cohesive, but it was fun getting to be creative with how we used the words we knew and make a short story from it. Below is an image of the comic I wrote and then read to the class. Reading the comic to the class was the most intimidating part, it was my first time getting up and speaking to this class.

Interpretive Listening

Every class day we participated in interpretive listening, we also listened to grammar videos, songs, and native speakers talk about trips, their country, etc. 

It is sometimes still very difficult for me to follow the language. With auditory processing disorder when people are speaking it takes me a bit longer than normal to process things and therefore I get tied up on the first few words instead of hearing the entire sentence. Despite this, I can use context clues, and if I can see the person speaking read body language or gestures to fill in the blanks. I understand the best when I can read and listen at the same time.

Interpretive Reading

This semester we read many short stories, comics, and pieces about tourism, historic events, artists and museums. 

My favorite thing was reading and learning about the art history and museums. I’m an art history minor and thought it was fun to read about something I’m always reading about in another language.