Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Exploring Culture
Some products that have helped me gain a better understanding of other cultures are learning about different countries holidays, their day to day routines and the cuisine they prepare. Learning about other cultures customs and practices is very vital to my knowledge of their culture and understanding.
One practice that really stood out to me is in some Spanish speaking countries such as Spain, there is a lunch and nap break between a work day which is very uncommon in Western cultures. This practice challenges my world view of a ‘traditional’ work day because there are no breaks in highly demanded labor jobs and it almost seems like it should be essential that there is a rest break in the middle of a day. By having a little bit of time to themselves, i feel as if service and labor workers would be mentally healthier if they did receive a decent amount of break time. When I first heard about this practice, I felt as if it was almost lazy or unproductive to take a break, but after seeing different perspectives about this topic from Spanish counties, I believe this is why it seems like people in these countries don’t hate their jobs as much. This is not to say that they are not working any less as hard because of their lunch break, but this may also be a good mental break for them as they are working hard throughout the day.
Engaging in Communities
The importance of engaging in a community wether that be in your immediate community or globally, is to understand different perspectives and struggles that different individuals go through. There are so many factors that affect peoples lives day to day and to engage and listen to individuals is important so that we can create a sense of community and so that people feel safe enough to express themselves.
Interpersonal Communication
Outside of class, I completed a 15 minute conversation with another Spanish speaker from a different country. Her name was Xiemina and I asked her questions regarding her routine, how she stays healthy physically and mentally. I then completed the activity shown below to further explain and reflect on the conversation and how I could improve myself next time.
With each TalkAbroad conversation, I became more confident in my replies because the more I practiced and reflected on the assignment before, the more my ability to speak clearer and faster became. Completing reflection activities helped me discover how I can improve by increasing my filler words, having increase vocabulary, and longer replies. By having unplanned conversations, I was able to grow my ability to have a conversation in Spanish without awkward long pauses. there was some difficulty in pronouncing certain words but my partner in the conversation helped me to correctly pronounce words or phrases. This helped me slow down and correctly pronounce my words, which is what I believe I excel at now. I learned lessons about new vocabulary, pronouncing, and other cultures during this assignment. For the next time I have a conversation with a person from a Spanish speaking country I will increase my filler words and pronounce words slower/efficiently.
Presentational Speaking
One presentational speaking activity I completed this semester is a recipe in Spanish using command verbs. The assignment was a video presentation of three minutes with visible ingredients and actively using unit vocabulary and grammar.
It was a challenge to remember recipe ideas and command verbs. I wanted to get the right form of Usted and use formal grammar to complete the requirements for the presentation. I excelled at using verbs like ‘Estar’ and I pronounced words clearly. Next time I would be careful of my use of silent letters in a consonant words such as “Hoy” the H is silent.
Presentational Writing
In class I wrote an Infographic about ways to prevent getting COVID and suggestions if you have it. I produced this in class without any notes and just vocabulary.
When I first wrote this infographic I did not memorize grammar enough and only received a middle B level rating on the rubric. I found the grammar and command verbs to be difficult and giving suggestions was hard to come up with too. Once I first picked the Corona Virus topic, the suggestions and facts I was required to write down became easier to come up with. After completing the written portion, we used our corrections and created a typed up version of the assignment. This is what I excelled at because I took my mistakes and learned from them which ended up in receiving a higher score on the final project grade. Next time I would study a little bit more before I have a written portion test in class, I could have avoided all my little errors.
below is a pdf of the final correct Infografia
infografia.docxInterpretive Listening
Below is a link to the video I watched and listened to this semester outside of class on our textbook, Contrasena. Some of the directions and food names were difficult for me to remember and memorize for the recipe project. I overcame this difficulty by completing the assigned work pages and activities that came after the vocabulary recording. Such and matching photos with verbs, conjugating words, fill in the blank etc. I find the activities to be the most compelling due to their difficult nature. My takeaway from the listening experience is that I most words do sound like how they do in english, or have some clues as to what they are in the word. Each activity increases my IQ of Spanish grammar, I can now give commands about a recipe and explain why it is healthy/beneficial.
Interpretive Reading
The challenging part about activities like these are that sometimes i tend to rush through them which causes me to have a lower score instead. To overcome this difficulty I slow down and read the corrections and clues that are given to me when I picked a incorrect verb. By using the vocabulary sheets and grammar I was able to decipher the reading and determine what verbs were used. From the reading, I was informed about a student union and a ability for me to enrich my grammar by reflecting on their excellent use of formal language. I have grown because I can reflex and examine my mistakes in order for me to get them right the next time.