Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Exploring Culture
While many monolingual people think learning an additional language is learning only the language, culture is such an paramount part to language. Culture will give you the depth you need to be successful in this skill. While the internet, and what seems like an unlimited amount of information, is readily available, my favorite exploration of culture comes from a dear friend of mine, Ronald. I met Ronald during a training course with the Navy. He is native to Cuba and the culture runs deep!
At any time an assignment was give in the cultural aspect, I chose Cuba every single time. After completing my own research on the subject. I would call Ronald to talk with him about what new information I gathered. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak with any more passion about any other subject! Without missing a beat, he would elaborate on such topic. This gave me a unique perspective and below you will find some cultural information I found pertaining to Cuba.
jpg2pdfAfter years, I finally understand the phrase “If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around the hear, does it make a noise?”. Our personal World is not the same World for everyone else. The exploration of culture is fascinating, not only am I learning about the culture, I am also learning how to think about things in ways I have never had the knowledge to do prior.
My favorite aspect of exploring culture with Ronald is learning the things a textbook probably wouldn’t teach me! I present, a text conversation with my amigo, Ronald.
Engaging in Communities
It is important to engage into the community because we ARE the community, and there isn’t just one! We may belong to more communities than we realize.
A community is a comprised of many individuals. Each individual has a unique lived experiences, who can in turn, provide critical insight into the community’s dynamic. Thus, playing a role in outcome of the community, including our children who are our future!
Really getting out into the community gives you a sense of awareness and brings many social issues to light as well as getting you connected with the members of the community. It gives a sense of reason and understanding. If I participated more in the Spanish community I’m sure I could obtain a wealth of knowledge in many aspects as well as build solid relationships. Starting now, I will take the initiative to involve myself in the Spanish and Hispanic communities more!
Interpersonal Communication
Throughout the semester, we were assigned many type of assignments that involved conversation in the Spanish language. These assignments were extremely intimidating at first. Through out the semester, it became less intimidating and I became more confident.
My biggest challenge with learning a new language was the application of proper grammar use, the vocabulary came easy to me. With every conversation, I was able to practice a new grammar skill I did not have prior, such as present particle and past tense.
One of my assignments was to have a conversation with a randomly chosen classmate, we just so happen to have the same name! Here I inserted a small clip from said conversation with my classmate, Kahliah.
Presentational Speaking
My current position at work is roughly 80% presentational work. I work at a dealership and speak with every customer who buys a car, giving them a presentation on environmental protection products and why they should purchase from me. Being 100% commission, this gave me the motivation gain as many presentational skills as possible. It helps that I took a public speaking and communications class as well!
Speaking in a foreign language comes with it’s challenges. Presenting comes with its own set of challenges and requires a separate skill set. Luckily for me, I come mildly equipped for such a challenge! Presenting in Spanish not only heightened my current presenting skills, such as rehearsing and watching body language, I also learned to slow down and really pay attention to the details of what I am doing. I think faster in English, thinking in Spanish slowed me down to a speed that allowed for a better quality presentation.
Below, you will find a clip of me presenting a childhood classic recipe, ham and cheese sandwich!
Presentational Writing
In this course we are surrounded by presentational material. I found this to be the most engaging and the most helpful type of material for myself. Giving meaning by interconnecting pictures, verbs and nouns.
Below you will find an infographic I created relating to depression and anxiety, how it relates to college students and some basic information on the subject. This project helped me organize my thoughts. With this project, I focused much of my efforts on using the correct grammar. It took some time to make sure I was using the correct forms of the verb, but with practice I was able to complete the assignment. Next time, I will focus more on mastering the grammar lesson.
¿Siente-depresion-o-ansiedad-1Interpretive Listening
The course work provided on LingroHub involved listening activities in almost every unit.
I learned how to be an active listener and how to listen to certain work, patterns, and even reading body language! While it is clear I am no master in the language of Spanish and it is rare that I understand every single word in conversation, I am a good listener and use my listening skills to piece together prior knowledge to help me comprehend the message, allowing me comprehension and the opportunity to engage.
The most exciting time to practice the language for me was ease dropping on conversation around me in Spanish but with the sole intention of wanting to understand a native speaker outside of the classroom.
One of our assignments was to watch and listen to a video about people being interviewed in the town of Málaga in Spain about sports and write a response about what the video entailed and reflecting on personal experiences.
Here is the response I gave:
Prefieren más el fútbol y el baloncesto. Mi deporte favorito es el baloncesto. I like to dabble in a variety of sports. I ran track for 6 years and played basketball for 2. As an adult I have been apart of many teams including kickball, volleyball, and softball. With such a busy schedule I have not had much time to partake in any sports. Although, I have thought about and considered joining the rowing team here at ODU. Once I lessen my schedule, I would love to find a sports team that I can join and participate in. I would like to try a new sport, maybe tenis! When I was in college in Ohio I did take a tennis class and that was something I really enjoyed.
Interpretive Reading
One of the first skills I was taught when learning to read was using context clues. This is a vital skill that I still use to this day, especially in Spanish. Reading and learning I believe go hand in hand and with every assignment came reading.
Reading in Spanish is less intimidating and allows me the opportunity to visually piece together the language, especially when it comes to patterns in grammar and conjugation.
One of my homework assignments involved reading ads for different sport and activities in Spanish and then helping different (fictional) students who are interested in different aspects of the sports opportunities.
Doing these assignments really helped me slow down and truly take in all that I was reading, even what I didn’t know, I was able to scan the reading for what was familiar to me.
Reflection
The artifacts presented by far demonstrate my abilities and growth over time. At the beginning of the course, I did not expect to have learned as much as I did in the time frame presented. This ePortfolio gave a new perspective of my total growth and accomplishments and I am excited to continue on this linguist journey.