Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Exploring Culture

Culture exploration in this class was my favorite part of each unit because understanding the culture is just as important as being able to speak the language. I am also interested in learning more about the different cultures because it is interesting to compare and contrast my life with the lives of others.

The culture assignments as well as some of my outside research shedded light on something I had never thought about much in the past. I feel like most people, including myself, tend to stay in a bubble unaware of the world outside of where they live. I have never traveled outside of an Americanized area so I had never put much thought into the way other countries lived until taking Spanish classes. It is now something I regularly research because I want to be informed about the world around me. Spanish classes opened my mind up to other cultures and their daily lifestyles.

Engaging in Communities

Engaging in communities is important because it is a way for us to give back to society. Community participation brings people together, builds relationships, and allows you to help grow the community into a place you want to live.

While I have not participated in my community through a foreign language, the main way I have participated in my community is through music. I have built lifelong friendships by participating in different music ensembles since middle school. These programs not only benefit those in it but those around us as we bring entertainment to our community. I have also participated in my community through theatre. I assisted in putting on productions each semester as tech director at my high school.

Interpersonal Communication

During the semester, I completed two conversations in TalkAbroad. In my second conversation, I felt like I had prepared better and I didn’t feel as nervous as I did the first time. I enjoyed doing these conversations because it was something completely new to me.

This course provided numerous opportunities for interpersonal communication. Along with TalkAbroad, I was able to develop my skills through partner and group work in class. Speaking with my classmates and getting to know them not only made my time more enjoyable but also helped me feel more comfortable in the learning environment. Being put on the spot, especially in a foreign language class, has always made me nervous but working in groups regularly helped me come out of my shell.

Presentational Speaking

This semester I completed two presentational speaking projects. At the beginning of the class, I created a video about my family and then later on a tutorial on how to create a healthy salad.

I found the main challenge in my projects was finding a way to present the material. Focusing on my script while also trying to make the project neat and entertaining was tough at first but made the projects that much more beneficial. I feel like my first presentational speaking project was better than my second because I took my time and refined it a little bit more than the second one.

Presentational Writing

One example of presentational writing is my script for my presentational speaking projects. When preparing the projects I wrote a detailed script with everything I needed to say so nothing would be left out. Another example of my presentational writing is my infographic on avoiding the common cold.

I feel like I became a stronger writer as the course progressed. In Spanish I, I was fairly uncomfortable writing but as I have learned more and have gained more experience I feel good about my ability to write in Spanish. I have found handwriting my work before I type it also helps me internalize the material.

Interpretive Listening

The interpretive listening I completed in this class was in LingroHub and in the classroom. Listening to my classmates during group work and while doing class participation was important in better understanding the units.

The LingroHub listening activities were typically a little challenging. I usually needed to listen to the recording 3-4 times before I was able to catch all the information. It became easier as the semester went on to catch key points in the recordings. Also participating and listening to my classmates each day helped improve my listening comprehension.

Interpretive Reading

The interpretive reading I did this semester came from the work in LingroHub. I read both the material provided in the assignments and some outside articles for the cultural exploration activities.

Reading comprehension in Spanish tends to be my worst area. Usually, I can understand what I am reading but do not remember it when completing the work along with it. This was mostly an issue in the cultural activities because the work was not side-by-side with the reading. I overcame this best by writing notes on the key points before attempting the work.