Communication can be characterized in many different ways. Three "communicative modes" are recognized to place primary emphasis on the context and purpose of the communication. The three modes are Interpersonal, Interpretive, and Presentational. Each mode involves a particular link between language and the underlying culture that is developed gradually over time.
The Interpersonal Mode: The Interpersonal Mode is characterized by active negotiation of meaning among individuals. Participants observe and monitor one another to see how their meanings and intentions are being communicated. The Interpersonal Mode is most obvious in conversation, but also can be realized through reading and writing, such as the exchange of personal letters or of electronic mail messages.
The Interpretive Mode : The Interpretive Mode is focused on the appropriate cultural interpretation of meanings that occur in written and spoken form where there is no recourse to the active negotiation of meaning with the writer or the speaker. Such instances of "one- way" reading or listening include the cultural interpretation of texts, movies, radio and television broadcasts, and speeches.
Since the Interpretive Mode does not allow for active negotiation between the reader and the writer or the listener and the speaker, it requires a much more profound knowledge of culture from the outset. The one knows about the language and culture, the greater the chances of creating the appropriate cultural interpretation of a written or spoken text.
The Presentational Mode: The Presentational Mode refers to the creation of messages in a manner that facilitates interpretation by members of the other culture where no direct opportunity for the active negotiation of meaning between members of the two culture exists. Examples include the writing of reports and articles or the presentation of speeches. These examples of "one-way" writing and speaking require a substantial knowledge of language and culture from the outset, since the goal is to make sure that members of the other culture, the audience, will be successful in reading and listening between the lines.
As an Arabic language educator, I always use the three modes of communication in my classes. My students always work in groups, I encourage them to have conversations in Arabic to express their feelings and emotions, and to exchange opinions. They have to listen to CD tracks or watch videos and answer questions on what they heard or watched as a homework. In addition, I always let them watch cultural movies and videos in the classroom such as Living With the Past and Naguib Mahfouz The Passage of The Century. By the end of every unit, my students have to write an assay, after I correct it, I choose one to let its writer read it in front of classmates and we have a discussion about it. In addition to that, students have to prepare a power point for a cultural project and present it in classroom twice a semester.
For distance learning environment, I have to change the face to face activities with on line ones, as letting students write their assays in Google Docs and record it in Voicethread....etc.
