Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Reflection

• In Spanish 102, I developed a further understanding of the language as well as its differences and similarities to English. One of the most challenging aspects for me to accomplish was understanding the preterit tense of irregular verbs. Through putting effort into understanding the proper ways to identify the verb’s proper tense in the classroom as well as at home, I’ve been able to develop a better understanding of the language. Lingrohub has been very helpful in showing me the proper ways in which to utilize these verbs, as well as understand anything else I may have had trouble with through the class. I liked that I was able to go back at any time throughout lesson during the whole semester and review what I needed when needed. I believe my pronunciation has improved over the course of the semester. This has been useful for developing a good understanding of how to speak the language properly.

Artifacts

Below is an audio recording in which I spoke with a native speaker from Costa Rica through TalkAbroad. This was very helpful for me to understand how a conversation should flow when speaking to someone in Spanish.

Exploring Culture

The class taught me different values and perspectives that many Spanish speaking people have across different countries. An example of this is when I learned how different cultures enjoy different sports, such as American football and baseball in Nicaragua, or how soccer and taekwondo are popular in Mexico.

Interpersonal Communication

Two-way communication, one-way communication.

Read and analyzed emails and text messages between students in Spanish, and formal as well as informal letters between students, professors, and faculty. Listened to different phrases and sentences, as well as monologues through LingroHub, and answered questions related to the dialogue. Listened to audio of interactions between people in Spanish while comparing learned material with what was being stated. Through these exercises, I was able to apply material I had learned through LingroHub and understand what I was reading, viewing, or listening to. When asked questions in Spanish that I didn’t immediately know the answer to, I could work out what was being stated to me, so I could come up with a reasonable answer.

Presentational Speaking

I had many opportunities throughout the semester to talk with other students about the material learned in class, and I also had the opportunity to speak with native speakers through TalkAbroad which both helped to strengthen my understanding of how the language is spoken.

Presentational Writing

Over the course of the semester, I had written many paragraphs in Spanish as part of the unit projects, all of which had different subjects, such as food, sports, health, family, etc. and they all helped to further my skills in Spanish vocabulary and grammar. Though these projects could be challenging, they helped me to understand the vocabulary and form of the language subconsciously; I’ve been able to formulate sentences and thoughts in a more cohesive and understandable way just by working on these projects.

Interpretive Listening

Through the TalkAbroad assignment I had completed earlier in the semester, I spoke with a man and discussed our preferred foods and ways in which we stay healthy. Because of the material I had learned earlier in the semester, I was able to understand him and comprehend what he was referring to as we spoke through the conversation. Though I admit there were some words I hadn’t understood or heard before, I was able to ask him to repeat himself in Spanish and formulate what he was saying through body language.

Interpretive Reading

During the semester, I had a variety of different texts and emails to analyze while answering questions related to the text. These exercises helped me to analyze what words did and didn’t make sense and helped me to understand what I should say when having a discussion with someone. Below is an text message (provided through Contrasena’s LingroHub) in which a student writes to his friend about an illness he is having, and I answered questions and filled in blanks that were in the text that helped it to make sense.

“Voy al médico porque necesito un físico. Tengo una muy alta fiebre y un dolor de que me hace difícil tragar. También tengo mucha congestión en la nariz. ¡Espero que sea solo un resfriado y no una gripe! Después tengo que ir a la para farmacia comprar medicamentos. Mándame un mensaje si necesitas algo de ahí. 🤒”