Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Exploring Culture

Throughout our Spanish 202 course we did a number of activities titled “Exploración cultural” which dove into many different issues and cultural practices in different Hispanic countries. We learned about issues such as stereotypes, social media, and technology.

The image above illustrates one of the many activities we completed. We were asked to read statements given by people from different Hispanic countries and then answer comprehension and reflection questions afterwards. I learned a lot about how stereotypes effect different countries and just how different these countries view the world. I did not have many stereotypes about Hispanic culture before, as I have traveled and have learned first hand that our perceptions are often wrong. I did however learn that people often have very far-fetched beliefs about cultures that they simply have never experienced or do not understand. One of the examples I remember reading is that people believe that Mexicans all wear sombreros and I just could not believe that was something people actually still believed. I learned overall that people need to educate themselves on different cultures more. With the access to information we have today, it is inexcusable to keep living blindly to the world around us.

Engaging in Communities

With this class being online, it is often hard to remember the importance of engagement. Over this summer semester, the most engagement I have had within my community is my job. Luckily enough my job is taking care of and teaching children, so I find that I play an important role within my community. It just so happens that I got to use some of my Spanish education to understand some of the words a Spanish speaking student was saying. I also find myself being able to understand and communicate with Spanish speaking people in public. When engaging in your community, you learn a lot about yourself and others, and are given the opportunity to change the world around you.

Interpersonal Communication

We did many assignments that required interpersonal communication two of which were discussion boards and TalkAbroad assignments. The TalkAbroad assignments however required physical speaking. Over the course of this semester we completed two TalkAbroad activities. Through these activities I was able to have a conversation with people from different hispanic speaking countries and learn of their experiences. These conversations were 15 minutes in length, and I found that my nerves made the activity worse than it actually was!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1aTve09GFiruYDNrMVgHQNEwP4cmi_KCD?usp=sharing

Above is a link to my first TalkAbroad audio. In this activity my partner and I talked about stereotypes about our countries and what we thought about them. I found it difficult to talk about Hispanic culture since I am not Hispanic myself but my partner offered a lot on inside from her own perspectives that expanded my views about this issue. I always struggle with speaking and I was very nervous. My partner helped me a lot by telling me to calm down and taking some deep breaths. Over all I always learn from these activities that I know more than I think I do, but I just need to have more confidence with myself. I still need a lot of practice but these activities I hope will help me continue to lean and grow in my speaking. I understand very well, and wish I could speak as well as I can understand but I know that simply comes from practice.

Presentational Speaking

This semester we did not do many presentational activities. At the very beginning of the semester we completed an introductory video on the website Flipgrid where we introduced ourselves to our classmates. This was really the only time I was able to present myself to my classmates, and while I did not show my Spanish skills it was a great opportunity to meet my classmates a little and introduce myself in this course.

Presentational Writing

We did not complete any examples of presentational writing this semester. I was able to adequately learn and expand my knowledge without it. I look forward to seeing what presentational opportunities come up in the future of my Spanish education.

Interpretive Listening

We completed a number of listening activities, whether it was through Lingro Learning, Quizzes or even exams. We had to listen during many activities and interpret what was being said. We would then be required to answer questions relating to what we listened to.

Above shows an activity from Lingro Learning. This was similar to a number of activities we completed. In this activity we had to listen to what what said and then drag the corresponding picture to what we had heard. We listened to many things including videos, audios, music etc. Through it all I think these activities helped the most with my learning because I could actually hear how things were pronounced and could then practice pronunciation myself. I also think it is more important to be able to listen and understand than to read and understand because it is something you will more than likely have to use in your travels. I have definitely grown with each activity and plan to from even more.

Interpretive Reading

Reading I think is what we did most throughout this class, given that most of our activities, quizzes, and exams were written in Spanish. Below I included a screenshot of text from Lingro Learning that we were required to read for an activity. We did many of these activities and often had to complete questions afterwards.

Reading was not nearly as challenging as everything else. I believe this is because we are taught how to read the language primarily and since much of my Spanish Education has been online, I have had to read a lot. There of course are still things I struggle to read and I may never know it all, similarly to how many words in English I still am yet to know. When I found myself struggling I would use context clues of the words surrounding the one I was stuck on and try to figure out its meaning. This helped in a lot of cases and required my brain to work a little more rather than just looking a word up. Just like in the reading above, I learned a lot about different cultures and had the opportunity to read about those experiences, which I was thankful for. I look forward to the many other things I will learn and read in Spanish and about Hispanic culture.