Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Reflection

Spanish-Reflection

Exploring Culture

Exploring the Spanish culture, we were able to speak to native Spanish speakers from different parts of Spanish countries. We engaged in a 15 minute conversation with them, enhancing our knowledge of the language. Another way we explored the Spanish culture is through watching Flash Cultura videos that explored more into different Spanish culture.

The flash cultura helped me better understand the values and attitudes in the Hispanic culture by the way they would speak about the different things that are offered in the different Spanish speaking countries. It taught me the different way people shop, get ready, what they eat, and other interesting topics. It helped open my mind up to learning about more Spanish culture where which I could apply to real-life situations. The videos would also give me incite of the countries by showing me around while also describing what was happening in the videos such as when they showed me around the markets in San José, Costa Rica where they showed how to bargain and the different places to shop.

Engaging in Communities

Engaging in immediate community helps with enhancing your communication skills and becoming more knowledgeable about the Spanish culture and the way that they speak, since many people speak Spanish differently. It is important to engage in these communities because learning the language becomes easier when you have practice outside of the classroom setting and engage with the people around you. It’s also nice to learn about the communities and culture of the language you’re learning since you are trying to communicate with that specific community.

I have experience related to my place of work. Many Spanish speakers come into my job and I have, very little, engage in conversations to help them find what they are looking for and help them gain a better understanding of what they want from me and from the store. I also have a friend who is Mexican and comes from a Spanish speaking family who have taught me a lot about the culture and the language before I started to learn it. It’s a very interesting culture that has as lots of stories depending on what Spanish speaking country you learn about since they all have some differences.

Interpersonal Communication

In the TalkAbroad, we were able to communicate with native Spanish speakers about, clothes, places, food and talk about our daily routines.

The TalkAbroads helped strengthen my communication skills by allowing me to practice with someone who fluently speaks Spanish. When I first spoke with a Spanish speaker, it helped with my listening skills, allowing me enhance in understanding the language as well as speaking it. It was pretty difficult at first to transition from a classroom setting to speaking with someone fluently by myself but they helped me understand words or phrases I might not have understood and I calmed down, letting the conversation flow on its own without stressing about what I would say next and if they would understand me. This taught me to be better prepared in engaging in basic conversation and to study a more when talking about a specific topic.

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Presentational Speaking

In our textbook and PowerPoints, there are activities with questions that we are given to answer in a group and them come together to answer as a class.

When given questions to answer related to the topic of the chapter we were on, we were broken into groups to gather all the information and answers before being put back together to answer as a class. In this activities, we are asked a question and then someone is chosen to present the answer to the class, either an answer of their own if the question ask about oneself or an answer related to the topic of the question. This helped me grow in practicing my communication skills, especially in front of people and sometimes exchanging topics with someone. I exceled in understanding what the topics were about and what we had to do overall for each question or activity that was given to us. If I were to do something different next time, I would make sure to write down my answers so that I can remember what I or someone else said to a question while also doing more research on some vocabulary words to be able to answer the question more in depth.

Presentational Writing

We were given two compositions to write where we would right a small paragraph about the topic relating to ourselves.

In the first composition, we were given the task of writing an outline for a brochure to a resort, hotel, etc. In this one, I wrote about the activities that one is able to do at a hotel and the hotel itself. This helped me make good use of the verbs Ser and Estar while also including varies activities. It became easier to understand the different in each verb and when to use them. The second composition including me writing about my daily routine at random place. I chose to do my routine in a hotel in Hawaii in which I explain how I begun my day, what I did in-between and how I finished it with the help of the reflexive verbs and the verbs Ser and Ir. It was difficult to understand the conjugations of the reflexive verbs and when and where to use specific ones but, after some practice, it became easier and more understandable. I would make sure I looked at the conjugation right and how I was using the word in the sentence while writing what I wanted to say. Next time, to get better at my presentational writing, I could double check to make sure a sentence makes sense and that I am using the correct conjugation of words and the correct verbs for what I am trying to say. I also could read through it to make sure that it’s all in the same perspectives and I am not switching from first to third perspective to often or without reason.

Composition 1: Folleto turístico

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Composition 2: Rutina Diaria

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Interpretive Listening

On the VHL Central website, we are given audio assignments where we have to listen to a conversation or description and answer some questions.

Throughout the semester, we listened to people give examples of logical or illogical sentences, phrases, describe their preferences, explain their daily routine, what they would shop for, and other kinds of activities where we would listen and either choose or write down an answer for each individually for homework. The most challenging part for me was understanding some of the audios since some people who spoke in them had an accent that blending letters and words together, like a native speaker, and the speak of which they were speaking. Mainly I would try my best to listen carefully to the words individually by listening to the audios multiple times so that I could understand the sentences, phrases, or words. It helped improve my listening skills and being able to, not only speak Spanish but, also understand it coming from someone else.

Interpretive Reading

On the VHL Central website, there are assignments called lecturas where we would read a menu, story, or outline of a restaurant, someone’s daily routine, and other activities.

Having to read the lecturas were a bit difficult since they are all in Spanish. Since each lectura were related to each chapter, it was easy to understand the over all topic of which the lecturas were talking about, including vocabulary words and phrases that were written. To overcome those difficultly, I would use context clues to understand the words around the one I understood or search up vocabulary that I never learned to get a better understanding of what I was reading so that I could answer the questions properly. The reading assignments helped strengthen my ability to read and understand Spanish each time with each chapter that we learnt.