Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication

Exploring Culture

Some products and practices that have contributed to a deeper understanding of Hispanic culture is reading, watching and writing about different topics about Latin culture. I watched videos about different social issues within Spanish speaking countries and wrote about topics that pertain to modern day issues such as influencers and their responsibility in this day and age.

Reading famous Hispanic poets work allowed me to see a different perspective of issues such as immigration and the stereotypes that are associated with Hispanic immigrants. I also come from a different ethnic background and am the first generation daughter to Pakistani immigrants. By immersing myself with all this new information I am educating myself of the different types of traditions, foods and stories that makes these cultures so special. These practices opened me to a whole new world of culture I had no idea was there — I learned about celebrations and customs that made me understand the culture of different Spanish countries. I now view the world from a different perspective because of the enrich culture of Spanish speakers, I value family and spirituality even more than I used to because I saw how important it is in this culture. The values of community are prevalent in my own background so opening my eyes up to this allows me to judge the world less.

Engaging in Communities

Engaging with my community and the global community are equally as vital for my personal growth in knowledge and different perspectives. By participating in my community I can make stronger bonds, promote understanding, and address local issues. On the global scale I can immerse myself in diverse cultures and perspective’s and issues that are increasing my scale of knowledge.

On a global scale, I have increased my engagement due to me facilitating learning about cultures throughout duo mobile. I was allowed to connect with individuals from different countries to learn about issues such as legalizing same sex marriage. In some countries this was a newer law put into place and there are still social rights and marriage rights that are fought over in other countries. This changed my assumptions about gay marriage because not every country has totally made it legalized.

Interpersonal Communication

This semester, I participated in two different TalkAbroad and other audio activities to showcase my understanding of the Spanish language. I engaged with native Spanish speakers in Talk Abroad about a series of different topics, enhancing my oral skills.

Engaging in telecollaborative conversations such as Talk Abroad allowed me to communicate in a spontaneous way and work on my skills to improve quick thinking and speaking. At first I found it really difficult to think on my feet and express myself in a formal way in a real-time manner. With typing out the workbook and practicing the phrases and questions I made, I persisted through the initial nerves. I learned to overcome the hesitation and learn how to refine my grammar, vocabulary and knowledge of other native Spanish speaking countries. Each session throughout the semester I was pushed to learn new topics which included new vocabulary words, different accents and speaking styles which all boosted my confidence when speaking in Spanish.

Participating in discussion board posts and other interpersonal exchanges provided me with a different experience. These practices allowed me to contemplate and bring thoughtful responses to prompts and commenting back at my peer’s posts allowed me to engage in my writing skills and meaningful dialogue. I wanted to make these comments the most productive and really engage in their work which was challenging at first. I needed clarification in my spelling and vocabulary to diversify my writing skills.

Presentational Speaking

A presentational speaking activity I completed this semester was a project about Influencers. I used this project to facilitate my Spanish speaking skills by presenting information about my favorite influencer and why. I  I included the screenshot of the presentation I made while using my oral skills to describe who my influencer was, her popularity and why but also her social responsibility. This was extremely vital to enhancing my speaking skills because it allowed me to think in a quick manner to talk about the topic at hand.  

My first presentation about influencers was challenging because there was a lot of research I needed to do beforehand. As I mentioned Kim Kardashian is one of my favorite influencers but I needed to know her impact or social responsibility. This topic allowed me to see different perspectives when it comes to the influencer and social media world we are in today, the internet affects everything. I overcame this challenge of finding the right information by looking at scholarly articles of body positivity and other movements throughout the project. The idea of body positivity is what my influencer is striving to show her audience and followers since many of them are younger women. I enjoyed making the presentation and thought my speaking during this project was better than my other ones this year. Next time I think I should rehearse a little bit more before shooting the video because it took me a couple of tries because seeing myself talk in nerve racking.

Presentational Writing

I enhanced my presentational communication this semester by writing essays in class about the topics we were studying. Every project this semester came with a writing part where we would write about a topic with questions. This topic is about influencers and their influence to their followers and overall culture in the united states. For preparing for this writing part of the project I watched videos and read personal statements about influencers in the Spanish speaking world. It was so interesting watching what these other individuals with huge following do on different platforms.

Then, in a paragraph, write a reflection that includes each of the activities you described above in which you explain how you have grown with each assignment or activity. What became easier and what was difficult? How did you overcome the difficulties? What did you excel at and why? How could you do better next time?

I have grown so much with completing activities such as this writing portion in class. Throughout each project we talk about new grammar, vocabulary and important topics that pertain to real world problems. We have written about stereotypes and talked about influencers and their cultural influence in our world today. I am glad I have learned and studied so many new words and phrases that come with each topic because I can display my skills throughout the assignment. Learning new grammar techniques was the hardest for me to overcome because I wasn’t used to the structuring of reflexive verbs but had to use it for some of the written assignments. I excelled at correcting these writing assignments after the fact that they were graded so I could see what my mistakes were. I knew that spelling was not something I excelled at but I was good at knowing where the accent marks went. I think next time I could write slower so that I am not making small mistakes.

Interpretive Listening

A interpretive listening activity I completed this semester was listening to different native Spanish speakers talking about where they are from, what their cultures values are and why and what traditions do they keep. This allowed me to see a whole new perspective of different religious values and family oriented traditions that related to my own. I included the presentation I made regarding the project about our national identities.

This activity challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and embrace a broader perspective, fostering empathy, understanding, and appreciation for cultural diversity. I was challenged with learning a whole new world of cultures which opened my eyes to new vocabulary, customs and language from countries such as Spain, Argentina and Peru. It reinforced the importance of actively listening and engaging with diverse voices to broaden my worldview and enrich my cultural literacy. As I continue on my language learning journey, I am committed to embracing the complexity and beauty of cultural diversity, recognizing it as a source of strength, inspiration, and collective knowledge.

Interpretive Reading

I read and watched many different poems and songs in the Spanish language this semester. By looking for nonverbal cues and the words in the song, I was allowed to answer questions about the Latin American representation and other symbols of the culture. This enhanced my viewpoint of Hispanic culture because I was reading about different issues and topics.

Working through these poems and songs challenged me to confront unfamiliar vocabulary, cultural references, and poetic devices, prompting me to employ various strategies such as contextual analysis and research to overcome these obstacles. Each assignment served as an opportunity for personal growth, fostering critical thinking skills, cultural awareness. Moreover, the process of engaging with these artistic expressions sparked reflections on my own identity and cultural heritage, reinforcing the importance of empathy, curiosity, and open-mindedness in cross-cultural communication. As I continue to explore the rich history of Hispanic culture, I am inspired to delve deeper into its background, embracing the beauty and diversity.