Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Exploring Culture
In an effort to understand different cultures, specifically different hispanic cultures, we conducted multiple activities titled “Exploración Cultural”. Throughout these activities we were given different scenarios such as environmental issues or social media and explore how different countries explore these topics and what their individual feelings are regarding these topics. This particular example illustrated in the images below are talking about the body positivity movements in several different countries throughout Latin America. We were asked to read statements that people from different countries stated about these issues in their country and then answer some reflection questions afterwards.
It was very interesting to see perspectives from countries outside of my own. It was also interesting to see how even neighboring countries could vary in politics, economics, and social attitudes. I learned that a lot of Latin American counties are more progressive and forward thinking than a lot of other countries. For example Costa Rica runs on almost 100% renewable energy year round! There is still work to be done in some countries as far as topics such as body positivity goes, but overall these countries are moving forward. I hope the the United States can look at these neighboring countries and adopt some of these mannerisms. My favorite thing to explore was the different artwork of many countries. These countries are filled with so much deep culture and history, and I absolutely loved exploring every one of them.
Engaging in Communities
Unfortunately due to COVID-19 I did not get to engage in my community as much as I would like to. It was a bit of a struggle learning certain topics and subjects because I was unable to use these skills in the world around me. I think this is the most important part of learning Spanish and as the pandemic begins to slow down I plan on continuing to travel and use my skills throughout the world around me! It was nice to be able to briefly interact with group members and classmates through projects and discussion boards and I hope to continue to expand on these activities more as my Spanish education continues.
Interpersonal Communication
Throughout the semester we were required to complete two TalkAbroad speaking activities and many oral/ audio activities. TalkAbroad gives students the opportunity to communicate and practice skills with a native Spanish speaker. We also watched many videos throughout class to which we were required to complete reflection questions and discussion boards. With the discussion boards we were also required to read and make responses on classmates’ posts in an effort to transfer thoughts between each other.
The discussion board assignments were the simplest to complete out of all the communication activities we completed. Not only was I able to learn a variety of topics such as history, art, and culture, but I was also able to expose myself to the different ideas held by my classmates. These activities of course provided more of an opportunity to plan what would be said, so it was easier to navigate the ideas I produced. The TalkAbroad was more difficult but was also something I thoroughly enjoyed. There was not really an opportunity to prepare but so much for this activity so I struggled a little with what to say. The speaker that I was assigned did an amazing job navigating the conversation with me and guiding me along the way. I learned that I definitely need to practice my Spanish more but that I am pretty good at understanding what is being said to me. I am going to work on further expanding my vocabulary and continuing to practice speaking.
Presentational Speaking
Over the course of the semester we completed many presentational speaking activities. Below is a recording of a presentation I gave on the famous artist Vincent van Gogh. I was required to speak on him as an artist as well as touch on some of the famous pieces he created.
I liked the presentational speaking projects. It was fun to conduct research and put pieces together to create an educational video for others to see. The greatest challenge of course was using the vocabulary we had learned in class and then actually presenting all the information. Next time I will definitely study more before I put my presentations together, but overall I feel as if I did a decent job with this one. It would more than likely be very different if I had to present in person so I am thankful I was able to do it over video so I could prepare more, and did not have the added pressure of people staring at me while I speak.
Presentational Writing
The most presentational writing we conducted was through our proyectos and some aspects of our conversaciónes. The example I have included was part of one one of our conversaciónes activities where we had to create a flyer for an ecotourism destination ad then present it to a partner. Mine covered the country Costa Rica as that is a country I have traveled and participated in ecotourism so I was able to speak on my experiences.
The writing activities were something I enjoyed the most throughout this class. Writing is something I enjoy doing in English so I felt the same about writing in Spanish. I definitely feel more comfortable writing in Spanish then anything else. I struggled most with conjugating and remembering the vocabulary I needed at times. These activities have helped me grow more in my Spanish writing but I definitely need to work more on my conjugating so that I can gain more confidence and write more fluently. I excelled overall in these activities but there is always more room for growth.
Brochure-for-Spanish.-PriceInterpretive Listening
For interpretive listening there were many times when we were required to watch videos or listen to a presentation on certain subjects. Below I have included a screenshot of an activity we had to complete where we had to watch a video and then complete a discussion board based on what we heard/saw.
I chose this video because it required you to listen more than watch as it spoke about ecotourism. I found these activities a bit more complicated. I learned from these activities that I have an easier time reading in Spanish than I do listening. These activities did help me to grow my skills in my interpreting Spanish but I know I still have a long way to go. In an effort to keep growing these skills I will try to listen to music and watch shows in Spanish to make myself more comfortable in this area of my Spanish learning journey. The most challenging aspect of it for me, as I’m sure it is with any language, is getting used to the different dialogs and accents that people speak with in Spanish. From what I’ve learned so far, I can understand speakers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Costa Rica better than I can understand speakers from countries such as the Dominican Republic. These are areas I will also need to improve in and practice listening more.
Interpretive Reading
We were required to read many articles and websites. Usually these readings were followed by questions or discussion boards. The reading I included below is from a homework activity where we had to read a comic and answer questions.
This reading was a short excerpt about a girl named Finita who reminisces about her family. This was a little more simple to read since it was a shorter comic, however I still had my difficulties translating it. This story was sad but I was happy that Finita decided that she was going to go track her family down. This reading made me realize how fortunate I am to have not gone through the process of immigrating and becoming disconnected from my family. I think these activities helped me grow my vocabulary more and made me more confident in reading fluent Spanish.
