Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Exploring Culture

Throughout the duration of this course, certain modules we were given a chance to explore more into the Hispanic culture. By doing this, it allowed me to gain a better perspective of practices that are commonly used in Hispanic culture as well as their typical day to day lives. It was so interesting to learn the difference in cultural practices, as well as day to day things such as when certain meals are eaten.

Being able to further research into the Hispanic culture, allowed me to gain a better understanding of the value and importance that the Hispanic culture holds over certain days, and practices. Another aspect of this class that gave me a better perspective of the culture and practices in Hispanic countries was having the opportunity to talk to individuals from Hispanic countries and be able to ask them specific questions about their culture, practices, and traditions. This was a very neat experience and one that I believe allowed me to have a better view point of the Hispanic culture.

During the assignments when I was able to speak to someone from a Hispanic country, each time I was able to learn more information about their traditions, how they celebrate certain holidays. I also came to realize that much of how certain holidays are celebrated in Hispanic countries shares similarities to how certain holidays are celebrate in the United States. For example, I learned that for one of the more common Hispanic holidays, it is celebrated with food, music, and with loved ones much like common American holidays. Being able to engage and explore the Hispanic culture further allowed me to have a greater respect, and understanding of the culture.

Engaging in Communities

When I was first beginning to take spanish courses at Old Dominion, I was unsure if I would ever really use the language outside of the classroom. However, I had an experience at the airport where a woman spoke very little english, and her first language had been spanish. She was not sure where her next gate was or where to go, so I was able to communicate with her and help her find her next destination by using what I had learned in previous spanish courses and in this spanish course to communicate with her. That was a wonderful feeling to learn that what I have spent three years doing was used to help a woman in need.

I also often go to one of the local Mexican restaurants in my town, and the servers there will help me with my fluency in Spanish. I will go to eat, and they will start small conversations with me in Spanish and help me where I need it and give me advice when I need it. This has become such a wonderful experience that I look forward to every time I go out to eat, but it also helps me, again with fluency, vocabulary, and grammar.

One other way that Spanish has helped me engage in my community is as a history major with a concentration in education, there is a high chance that I will have students, parents, or guardians that there first language is not English, but rather Spanish. As I have spent almost three full years learning the language this class has given me the ability to be able to communicate with my english learning students and their parents.

Interpersonal Communication

TalkAbroad seemed to be the most beneficial form of communication that I took part in this semester. It allowed me one on one time to be able speak to someone from a Spanish speaking country. Another aspect that helped me with communication was also discussion boards, this allowed me be able to read different classmates responses and respond back to them all while reading and writing in Spanish. These activities built my confidence in being able to better understand the language both in written and spoken form.

Throughout the semester, I was able to write several different discussions boards on a variety of different topics. Each discussion board assignment allowed me to build my strength in writing and reading the language. With each discussion board assignment, I felt that each one was better than the next. I was able to build on my writing skills and add in new grammar and vocabulary. The TalkAbroad assignments, I felt a similar way as to my discussion boards. With each TalkAbroad I completed, I was able to improve on the next and feel more confident speaking. Each TalkAbroad assignment, I spent several hours practicing different questions I would ask, as well as responses to possible questions I would be asked. I felt during the TalkAbroad I really excelled in trying to keep the conversation moving, however there were some difficulties in being able to understand certain words that were spoken. My difficulties surrounded around unfamiliar vocabulary, so to overcome that I really focused on context clues to help me try to get a better understanding of what was being said.

The files attached are discussion board post and responses from myself.

Presentational Speaking

I am not sure what kind of presentation speaking I have done aside from TalkAbroad and speaking with the professor of the class. With these assignments however, these assignments did pose a challenge for me, however with preparation I did well. These assignments consisted of consistent spanish speaking to either my professor or from an individual from a spanish speaking country.

Like mentioned before, these assignments did pose a challenge due to the nature of needing to speak in spanish throughout the whole conversation. To prepare for these speaking assignments I would plan out questions to ask, as well as possible responses. I spent several hours practicing grammar, vocabulary, and phrases. I would also complete workbooks to help me with TalkAbroad assignments as well that way I was able to mark any areas for growth for the next speaking assignment.

The attached file is a workbook provided by TalkAbroad and completed by myself.

Presentational Writing

I did not complete anything of this nature during this class.

Interpretive Listening

During exams as well as homework assignments, I needed to be able to listen and be able to understand what was spoken as well as be able to respond to what was spoken. Some of the assignments consisted of being a response of what tense, as well as trying to understand what vocabulary word is being described.

This was a difficult task for me through the homework site due to the fast speaking of the speaker on the recording. I would need to re-listen to the recording several times before I could begin to understand what was being said. Most of the assignments in the homework that consisted of listening also incorporated matching phrases, which would be responses to what the speaker on the recording is asking or saying. With each activity, I would look for key words or phrases that would really help me better understand and be able to find the answers. Each activity I would really work on understanding the grammar and vocabulary for the module which helped significantly with understanding what the speaker is saying.

The attached file comes from the homework assignments from LingroLearning.

Interpretive Reading

We did a lot of interpretive reading throughout this class, especially on exams. This would consists of reading a text in spanish, identifying true and false statements, it would also include filling in the blanks throughout the text. Some other interpretive reading that was completed in the class was reading a statement and identifying certain aspects of the sentence.

This proved to be the most difficult thing that I had to do in this class. I would struggle significantly with this aspect of the course, and overtime I was able to better understand some of these assignments, but it was very difficult for me to overcome this struggle because with every new module and exam created a new challenge. I was able to look for context clues throughout some of the text to help me in areas like the true and false connections, as well as identifying certain aspects of a sentence like what kind of grammar is being used or what type of identification tool is being used. It took a lot of studying, practicing, and ultimately focus on context clues and knowing and understanding the vocabulary and grammar for that certain module.

All of the images attached in this section are from exams created by Professor Mitchell.