Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Exploring Culture.
Throughout this semester I have gained an understanding of cultural perspectives from the LingroLearning: Exploración Cultural activities.
Every Unit of LingroLearning included a section on Cultural differences where I learned more about the world around me. Since I do not have very many opportunities to learn about different world cultures, I truly appreciated every Cultural section. Learning about different parts of the world showed me that although we may differ in language and experience, we are similar in a-lot of ways. Learning more about different countries forced me to set aside my preconceived notions of other people and be open minded about their experiences and lifestyle. For example, Unit 4 discusses students in Universities and their situations that I could heavily relate to being a college student myself
Engaging in Communities
I have had over 200 hours of service in the past year. Each has been in an incredible opportunity to meet new people and support those who need it. From soup kitchens, kid camp programs, to building homes for those who are not fortunate enough to afford one. Every one of these experiences not only made the life of someone else better but taught me lessons about life.
Interpersonal Communication
TalkAbroad was both my favorite and least favorite activity from this semester course. On one hand, I had the opportunity to converse and gain a different perspective on lifestyle and experiences. Being able to connect with someone I would not usually get the chance to is so amazing. On the other hand, preparing for a conversation in a language I am not fluent in was so nerve racking. I was so afraid of making mistakes and being unclear.
With each Talk-abroad, I became more familiar with the general flow of conversation and became less nervous. I believe I did a good job at understanding what my partners were saying but when it came to responding, I would falter. I had to overcome my insecurity of imperfection which was a humbling experience. Talk-Abroad helped grow my abilities in communication. It forced me to be comfortable hearing myself speak in Spanish.
Presentational Speaking
I completed a presentation on La Familia.
I completed a presentation on my family to my classmates. This was my first presentation fully in Spanish in over 2 years so I was very nervous. This experience was eye opening because it showed me how much practice I needed for future projects. This presentation showed me that my pronunciation needed some work. I really enjoyed presenting though. It was very fun and was a good review on the material I had learned years ago. I would not change how I went about this project. After the project, I made efforts to focus on my pronunciation.
Presentational Writing
The activity at hand was to create a flyer to encourage people to join a sport club. I chose soccer.
This activity helped me have a better understanding of how to use the vocabulary and grammar practice in use. The more practice I had with the uses, the more fluent I understood the material. Making the advertisement was fun because I had the opportunity to be creative and make up a fun story.
Interpretive Listening
This semester LingroLearning has been the only place where I have listened to Spanish and had to respond or give a written answer. These activities helped me understand how to form sentences in Spanish and helped me fix my own pronunciation.
Outside the classroom, I have Hispanic friends who have introduced some of their music to me. At times I find myself finding grammar and vocabulary that I have learned this semester in the music. My favorite song so far has been ‘Que Hicisite’ by Jennifer Lopez. There are so many preterite examples in the song and it was so much fun integrating what I have learned into my everyday life. At times I had to re-listen to parts of the song to better understand what was said but I enjoyed the process of learning (most of) the words to this song.
Interpretive Reading
Although this may not be what many had in mind, as I read through each potential partner’s biography, I came across words that I recognized and words I did not. This forced me to practice and truly take time to understand who each person was before I made my TalkAbroad appointment. I went through about 10 profiles between the 2 assigned TalkAbroads and each one presented new words and grammar practice that helped with my Spanish in the future.This website helped grow y basic sentence structure. It was so compelling to learn about the variety of people. My takeaway from each profile was that everyone is so unique and different. This made me so excited to pick a person to talk to and learn more about.