Interpretive, Interpersonal, and Presentational Modes of Communication
Exploring Culture
I have never been out of the United States but I think it would be very cool to travel to a different country to see the amazing differences. I gained my understanding of cultural perspectives mainly in Spanish class but also on the internet and watching Tiktok videos of people from different cultures.
I grew up in an area where not many people come from Spanish speaking countries but I did have one friend who was from the Dominican Republic so I learned a little bit from her. I remember going to her house and trying Spanish food for the first time, it was very good. She also only spoke Spanish in her house so it was very interesting being in another environment and hearing full conversations in another language. I also remember her house having decorations that an American culture house would’ve have and they were things I have never seen before. This was cool because it almost felt like I was in a completely different world and it was interesting seeing how her families culture is different from my families.
Engaging in Communities
It is important to engage in the community when you are trying to learn a new language so you can get more practice and better knowledge. Getting practice outside of class and homework can help you understand the language better and it is perfect practice. Also you can benefit from the community because you are not only getting practice on the language but you are also gaining knowledge on Spanish cultures. I do not have that much first hand experience with the Spanish communities but I am interested to get more experience so I can better understand how their culture is different from the traditional American culture.
Interpersonal Communication
This semester in Spanish we did oral actives in class where Professor Padilla would ask a question and we would have to answer it to the best of our ability. Outside of class we had oral interviews with Professor Padilla. We also had writing activities in class were we had to write Spanish paragraphs about the unit we were studying.
For our interpersonal communication activity we paired up with a partner and talked to them either in person or over zoom. In this activity we introduced ourselves to a classmate to practice our Spanish speaking. This activity really helped me understand how Spanish conversations go since they are very different from english conversations. The most difficult part of this conversation was figuring out the sentences and the proper way to say what I was trying to say. To overcame this I talked to my partner for help and if she did not know either or she wasn’t exactly sure if it was right then I asked Professor Padilla and then practiced the sentence over and over. I excelled at the pronunciation of the words because of how often I practiced my sentences.
Presentational Speaking
For our presentational speaking portion of class we completed a video of us walking around campus and talking about our three favorite places on campus. In our presentation we had to explain what the building looks like and what we do in that building.
The thing that challenged me in this presentation was using the correct grammar terms for what I was trying to say. I spent a lot of time looking at the grammar trying to understand when and how to use all of the grammar correctly. I overcame these challenges by asking others for help and paying close attention in class when we went over the grammar. Again I excelled in the pronunciation part of my video. Next time I would like to memorize what I want to say better so I don’t have to do a bunch of different clips and merge them together in the end.
Presentational Writing
In Spanish this semester we did a couple written assignments almost like small essays. In these assignments we had use what we were currently learning about to answer the given prompt.
Each of these assignments we had to talk about different topics so they were all challenging. In the first one we talked about ourselves in Spanish so that was pretty easy for the first one but it was also challenging because going into it I didn’t really know what the expectations were. The second one was better because I knew what too except going into the assignment. What was more difficult was the topics but that is expected. Next time I could do better by reviewing the chapter before going into the assignment so I have an idea of what I want to talk about.
Interpretive Listening
This semester we had a couple listening assignments in the contraseña book. These activities related to the unit we were studying and they really helped with the pronunciation of the words and with the correct way to form sentences. Along with these videos the videos at the beginning of the vocabulary and the grammar sections were also super helpful for me. These activities helped me grow because I could go back to them while doing the assignments.
https://hub.lingrolearning.com/#/62fbfcfd2f7b02783dd3aa2c/6233b17e8e95ee7173ac53ac/6233b16b8e95ee7173ac48d8 (contraseña book)
Interpretive Reading
One of the readings that we read in and out of class this semester was on the Latin American universities. This activity helped us learn the differences between American universities and Latin American universities.
I did not find anything in these reading challenging as it was mainly comprehension. My take away from this was that America is an expensive place to live as Latin American countries their universities are almost free to go to so you don’t have to worry much about how you are going to pay for schooling. Some things about their universities are the same as ours like the length and getting a degree before you go in. I did also learn that most of them do not have dorms on campus we do in America so most students stay living at home.
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