Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

In Spanish 102, we were assigned discussion board topics that highlighted many hot topics in today’s society .  These assignments offered a vast amount of insight on Latin cultures around the globe. In this semester, I learned about family orientation; popular sports in Latin communities; delicious food around the globe; Describing careers in Spanish; and about a variety of different traditions such as how cool siestas are in Spain! To supplement the textbook, we also had assignments throughout the course in Canvas that had us do research on various Latin cultures.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IU7hLEpnPxuGoCrGAyB9EeNdG9r57bmz/view?usp=sharing

The above link is an audio TalkAboard assignment about La Familia with another student from Mexico named Ceasar.

Exploring Culture

I found myself fairly intrigued and fascinated by the research that was asked of us. We did research about sports, food, and the difference in health benefits around the globe. While it’s not the same as actually visiting and experiencing different countries, I found myself feeling like I was missing out on the rich cultural experiences around the globe. The Latin culture has so much passion and love behind it. I believe it’s safe to say the same thing about their food! Every single piece of culture I was exposed to makes me want to experience it in person.

Engaging in Communities

Being engaged with a community makes us feel as though we are a part of a community. Community offers opportunities to connect with people, which is important for our well being! Connecting with people allows personal growth, which in turn helps us to be more aware and culturally sensitive to other communities. Community also helps make us feel safe and secure. Knowing that we belong somewhere and are able to seek others for help is just one of the reasons community is so important.

Doc2

This is a screen capture of a response I had for a fellow student. They were discussing a local Peruvian dish called Ceviche. Also, I discussed how my family makes Mole Enchiladas.

In this course, several discussion boards were assigned to us. Having discussions with fellow students truly brought a sense of community to this Spanish course. It allowed us to share our thoughts and bounce ideas around.

Interpersonal Communication

TalkAbroad is this amazing service that offers students from all over the world to practice several different languages with native speakers. You start off by choosing a partner, and don’t worry, every one has a profile singling their hobbies and backgrounds so if you see someone you think you’d get along with all you have to do is select them.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eum9AdccXxSnN89OfGtDgpZk8NNRW9h4/view?usp=sharing

In this course, we were assigned topics to discuss so there wasn’t too much liberty on conversation topics. Regardless, I was taken back at how helpful I found TalkAbroad to be. Conversing with a native speaker allowed me to gain feedback about my own vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and accent. I found that my accent and pronunciation weren’t too bad, however my vocabulary and grammar needed a lot of attention. I didn’t have too much trouble understanding the speakers, but I did struggle speaking to them. Wanting to be able to speak to their level was somewhat of a stressor. The only way this will improve is if I continue practicing with native speakers. In the above link was another conversation with Ceasar. This was taken the day after my son was born. I was so excited about this milestone that I let Ceasar know and we had a conversation about this.

Presentational Writing

I felt that a lot of the course focused on writing and grammar. We did, however, have several compositions that were assigned to us. They all consisted of different requirements. Our first composition required us to look at a grid of different photos and describe the actions that were being conducted. The responses had to be done in Spanish. I felt that this particular assignment allowed me to make visual connections with the Spanish vocabulary. It also allowed me to practice my spelling. I find the use of accent marks to be challenging because I have to remember where they go and when to add them when conjugating. I believe I have a long way to go when it comes to my Spanish grammar abilities.

DB92

In this Composition, I was assigned to answer three questions in Spanish about the differences between Spanish and United States medical benefits.

Fortunately, there were many opportunities to practice spelling and grammar. LingLearning offers a hefty amount of practice as well. When submitting exercises, you receive feedback on what has to be fixed. Having that type of feedback really pushed me to be more cautious and attentive when creating sentences. LingLearning doesn’t flat out give you the answer, just informs you that it’s incorrect. Whenever I had issues getting the correct answer, I would refer to the LingLearning videos and adjust my sentences accordingly

Presentational Speaking

Throughout the course there were multiple “entrevistas”, which involved having a conversation in Spanish with another student. We were given a scenario and had to create dialogue that would match the scenario. I felt that I got a lot of practice when preparing for the interviews because these interviews were proctored by our professor and with TalkAboard we received immediate feedback. Receiving live feedback is something I found rather helpful because it made it possible to ask specific questions on what needs to be improved on. For example, if I was struggling pronouncing a word, I’d get feedback on how to pronounce it correctly. Having this type of feedback reinforces my learning process and help me remember things better.

The assignments had us listen to a question in Spanish and we would have to record a response in Spanish. These were a bit less stressful because we weren’t required to perform in front of a live audience, however I did find myself wishing for live feedback. Waiting to get input when learning a language can be excruciating.