Topic 6

Adult Teaching and

Extension
What is Extension teaching?
 Teaching requires skills that include knowledge of
technology or what to teach, an understanding of
the educational process or how to teach, ability to
work with village people, and skill with extension
teaching methods.
 Good extension teaching is not a mere dispensing of
facts and recipes, or a simple mechanical
manipulation of extension methods.
 It is helping people gain knowledge; and helping
connect their knowledge to their problems.
 Teaching facts and practical skills is a relatively easy
tasks; getting people to understand, accept and
apply them is difficult task. This
 What is Extension Teaching
Method?
 Extension teaching method is the technique or
manner of inculcating knowledge, attitude and
skills to identified clients of extension to enable
them to solve their problems.
 It is deliberate effort to make people learn,
understand, value, accept and apply what has
been taught to them to generate a change in
their life.
What are the factors to consider in the
choice of Extension Teaching Methods?
1. Human Factors (Source and the Receiver)
 Characteristics of the CLIENTELE or the
Receiver
o Personal or demographic (age, education,
experience in farming/homemaking, etc.)
o Socio-psychological (values, attitudes, belief
systems, aspirations, religion)
o Organizational affiliation, attendance in
farmers/homemakers classes, etc.
 Knowledge:
 The adult learner is one with a lot of
experiences. He establishes self identity in terms
of his accumulation of a unique set of
experiences.
 He is a reservoir of experiences making him a
rich resource for learning
 His experiences provides him a broadening base
to which he relate to new learning
 He select his own area of educational interest
(vocational subjects and religious studies are the
priorities in the US)
 He wants to learn practical knowledge and skills
related to his individual self and his environment
 Skills:
 He is skilled in what he is doing brought about
by his day to day activities in the farm.
 They want to acquire knowledge and skills in
how to do better
 They want to learn tasks connected to their
occupation, and order to solve job problems
 Since farmers are rich in farming experience,
and some of them may enjoy higher social and
economic status, the authority of the adult
teacher on them is determined by competence
alone
 Attitude:
o As adult learner, he is free to engage in or withdraw
from an educational experience as he pleases. He
regards the hours that he gives to learning as
precious and expects them to be used to some
constructive purpose.
o They enroll in educational opportunities if they feel
the instruction meets their needs.
o The general tendency of the farmers is to resist
innovations introduced in the community, especially
those that will modify or distort their existing
farming system.
o They spurn information or ideas that are opposed to
their cherished beliefs.
o The adult learner are likely to display a cooperative
spirit; he contributes to one another’s learning
2. Socio-Cultural Environment

 Some social-cultural considerations in

adult learning:
 The spacing of an adult’s learning is dictated by
his occupational and family commitments; it is
mostly part-time, irregular and spread over
many years
 Male farmers are engaged in full-time farming;
they only attend learning activities when they
are free
 Women farmers are full-time housewives, hence
participation in learning activities is second or
last priority.

 There may be no age gap between the teacher

and the adult learner; the teacher must
understand that adult learner holds an image
that the teacher must respect.
 Culture and Learning

o Every society has its own culture, which is

carried by individuals and transmitted through
interactions.
o Culture is the totality of knowledge, beliefs,
values, and practices of any one society. It is the
product of the social, economic and political
organizations of a given society.
o The culture of the society changes at varying
paces. There are always new skills, knowledge,
values, and beliefs that a learner acquires and
old skills and knowledge to unlearn to keep in
harmony with his environment.

o Understanding the culture of the society is

therefore essential before an adult educator can
plan educational activities.
 What is learning and how does learning
occur?
 Learning is defined as a relatively permanently
change in behavior that occurs as a result of
practice and experience.
 These behavioral changes are in terms of their
knowledge, values and attitudes and skills.
Learning involves more than simply being
present in learning situation.
 There are conditions and factors within the
learner that promote learning.
 What are the adult learners’ motivations to
study?
 He has a goal / objectives to attain through
adult education program (goal Oriented).
 He has a strong desire to know (learning-
oriented). He seeks learning for learning sake.
 He wants to meet people, to socialize or to
escape from less desirable activities (activity-
oriented). He wants to improve his social
standing
 He wants to get information on all sorts of
things
 Learning occurs in three domains: cognitive,
affective and motor.

 Cognitive learning
 concerns with various aspects of knowing such
as perceptions, memory, imagination, judgment,
and problem-solving (learning facts and issues
about the cause and the effect).
 He learns how various elements, facts and
principles operate in a situation.
 Thus, an adult farmer gains understanding on
the effects of extension policy on his farm
operation, etc.
 Affective learning
 is concerned with the change in beliefs,
attitudes, and feelings.
 An individual may be against the introduction of
high-yielding rice varieties or disease resistant
plants; however, he may change his attitude on
the matter if he is convinced that it makes sense
to do so.
 Motor learning
 is concerned with physical activity, e.g. operating
a corn dryer, castrating livestock, feed
formulation, etc. practice is necessary to learn
motor skills.
 Through practice, a task is practiced until it is
mastered.
 How do farmers learn a skill?
 Learners must know clearly what he is expected
to achieve.
 This can be provided to the learners through the
plans, instructions, stated objectives or defined
standards or it may come from the learner
himself, who decides his learning objectives
 The learner needs information or feedback about
the progress as well as the consequences of his
actions at each stage of the task assigned to
him.
 Feedback has a dual function; it provides
motivation and a chance for reinforcement to
work and of giving information that will correct
error.
 Providing feedback helps the farmer modify his
actions during the practice of a particular activity
so that the learner becomes more steadily
accurate.
 Feedback also minimizes unnecessary errors.
 The Characteristics of a CHANGE AGENT
and his tasks (Sender)

o The change agent plays a very important role in

an extension delivery system. He acts in four
primary ways: as a catalyst, a solution giver,
a process helper, and a resource linker
(Ottawa, 1983).
o The extension worker or village level worker is a
professional who undertakes development
activities to uplift the living conditions in a
community.
o Employed by either a public or private agency or
institution, he
o Is the frontline worker who initiates change.
o Assists clientele in their farming and community
activities
o Introduces and disseminates new ideas and
recommended practices
o Encourages participation, and sustains the interest
of the client system
o Is greatly concerned on how to transfer technology
and put across his ideas to his clientele
o Plays a critical part in this activities and is
considered a vital factor an the change process
 Three factors involve in the change
process:

 the message (the technology are

recommended practices to be introduced)
 the clientele are end-user who is going to
accept and use the message or technology
 The change agent who exert all the means of
effort to induce desirable changes in people and
in the community.
 Factors influencing acceptance or adoption of an
appropriate technology:

o it should be a product of research and

experimentation (technically available)
o it should be within the reach of the end-user and
therefore not costly (economically feasible)
o it should not be against existing norms,
traditions, belief systems, values, or cultural
backgrounds of the end-users (socially
acceptable), and
o it should be easily understood and followed
(educationally attainable)
o As far as the change agent is concerned, his
personal traits, training, competence, strategies
and even his persuasive ability exert an
influence on the change process.
o An extension worker or change agent should
preferable be:
o A bachelor’s degree holder in any technical or
social science field.
o He must have the necessary knowledge, skills,
and experiences, for he is considered the main
and must credible source of technical
information and technology in the village
o He must possess certain personal qualities such
as empathy, interest, commitment, patience,
ingenuity, prudence, responsibility (Medina and
Ancheta, 1978) and a missionary zeal or
dedication to service (Mabutas and Paguirigan,
1978).
o He must have originality of thought, initiative,
leadership, organizational and problem-solving
abilities, reliability, judgment, self-improvement,
communication facility, and good public relations
(Bradfield, 1966).
o He must be physically fit plus the ability to
communicate with farmers, ability to get along
with people, enthusiasm for the job, common
sense, and initiative.
 His tasks as field worker includes:
 He deals with experienced farmers and provides
answers to day-to-day problems and challenging
questions asked by them.
 He undertakes various functions and activities to
accelerate development, which not only requires
competence in subject matter areas, but also in
human relations, program planning and
implementation, the teaching-learning process,
the structure and dynamics of society,
identification and diagnosis of problems,
communication and strategies of change, and
techniques of evaluation.
 He must also be sensitive to the interactions of
the physical, social, and cultural factors in the
agricultural environment (Schwass and Alfo,
1982).
 A change agent should be up-to-date with new
research findings and development in his area.
 Formal education or degree training, at either
the graduate or undergraduate level, may also
be availed of by a change agent.
 Professionally, the change agent should have
good knowledge and understanding of his clients
and of the client system (Allo and Schwass,
1982).
 The change agent also needs to recognize the
effects of the bio-physical factors or the natural
environment in undertaking agricultural
production activities.
 Sound knowledge of farm management and
economics is another professional requirement
of a change agent.

 Roles and functions of the change agent:

1. Gathering of data or information about the
community and its constituents.
 Information may be gathered through properly
designed survey instruments (questionnaire,
interview schedule), observance, ocular
inspection, or informal discussions.
2.Identifying priority areas, problems, needs, and
interests of people in the community.
 It is better to work on specific projects or
concentrate on a few priority problems first than
to immediately disperse the activities widely,
without getting much impact or result.
 Often, the solution to some major specific
problems will eventually solve other problems as
well.
3. Establishing support with the client system.
 The change agent should first establish a
working relationship and gain the confidence of
the client system before attempting to introduce
new ideas.
4.Selecting and formulating appropriate change
objectives.
 The objectives should be properly defined.
5. Translating technical information into farmer’s
language.
6. Choosing/using suitable approaches and
extension teaching methods.
 Choice of methods depends upon the purpose,
the audience or clientele, existing conditions,
and available resources.
7.Disseminating new information and technology.
 Innovations or technology for dissemination
needs to be carefully studied by the change
agent. A good innovation has the following
characteristics;
a) technologically available (it is a product of
research and experimentation), b) economically
feasible (it is within the reach of the farmer, c)
socially acceptable (the innovation does not run
counter to existing local traditions, beliefs and
value systems), and d) educationally attainable
(the innovation is not complicated and it should
be easily understood by the farmer).
8.Conducting extension education activities.
 In extension, the principles of education are also
applied.
 For instance, in an extension evaluation study,
one of the reasons why a farmer adopted the
practice was the “repetitive contacts” or
“insistence” of the change agent. In this case,
the principle of repetition was aptly used, and it
worked.
 Other educational principles such as recency and
association may also be used properly in
introducing ideas or innovations.
9.Recognizing and guiding the phases of the
change process.
 The change agent has to keep up with the pace
of change. His assistance and guidance are
needed most when the pace of adoption is slow.
The change agent has to see to it that
development is steadily sustained.
10.Undertaking auxiliary extension functions.
 Writing and submitting reports
 Receiving and briefing visitors
 Acting as liaison between the village and
external agencies
 Providing information about the locality or the
project to other agencies/entities.
 Attending administrative matters in the mother
agency.
11. Contributing to the professional development of
the discipline
 From the various activities undertaken, the
change agent is considered an initiator of
change, a source of agricultural information and
other technological breakthroughs, a special
teacher, an organizer and coordinator, a
researcher, and an all-purpose person
 Initiator of change
o The change agent identifies and analyzes
individual and community problems.
o Felt and unfelt needs and interests, community
resources, and the general situation; and he
establish the benchmark data or information.
o Based on these data, he develops or formulates
and implements programs, gives expert
guidance and assistance, and motivates and
sustains the interest, enthusiasm, and
participation of the people or the recipients of
the change.
 Source of knowledge and Technology

 Change agents are still considered the main

and most credible sources of information and
advice on technology.
 Because of this, the change agent must
continually seek new findings and information
of practical use on the farm.
 He must provide the necessary knowledge,
skills, and technology for increasing production
and income.
 Special teacher
 Deals with special groups of students – the
experienced farmers, the homemakers, and the
youth;
 Conducts classes or educational activities in a
unique classroom – the field, farm shed, under
a tree, at home, barangay hall, etc;
 Bears the inconvenience of village life;
 Overcomes the barriers that impede the
transfer of knowledge and technology;
 Allows his clientele to make their own decisions
concerning their development and welfare;
Provides the psychological setting for the
teaching-learning process;
Selects and use appropriate strategies or
approaches for the effective transfer of
technology;
Considers the clientele as human beings with
all the potentials and capabilities for
development; and
Identifies, trains, and develops local leaders.
 Organizer and Coordinator

 He encourages the formation of associations or

organized groups as means for rural
development activities.
 He taps the organizations and leaders as
channels of economic and other forms of
services through various community activities
and projects.
 Researcher

o He records and keeps data/information about

the project/program and the community.
o He conceptualizes actual field experiences and
new ideas.
o In addition, he documents and submits reports
of his activities, observations, and experiences;
he also evaluates such activities and makes
suggestions or recommendations.
 All-purpose person
 He oftentimes does activities outside the
regular working hours – in the evening or
during weekends.
 A professional change agent or extension
worker performs as a catalyst, a solution giver,
a process helper, as a resource linker.
 He must possess personal attributes such as
empathy, patience, creativity, and education,
and equipped with techniques or development
strategies.
 SETTING PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
 Objectives and goals are derived mainly from
the problems identified that are considered to be
primary importance or of immediate concern
from the point of view of both the clientele and
the planners.
 An objective is defined as a direction of
movement. It serves as the basis for
undertaking all the various activities in the
program. Objectives are of three levels:
fundamental, general, and working or
operational.
 The fundamental objectives are expressed in
legislation and in charters of organizations.
 The general objectives are more definite social
statements expressing the general purposes of
the extension organization.
 These are generally mentioned when extension
staff and leaders explain what their organization
does.
 The working objectives in a program are specific
and clear cut.
 They are also known as operational objectives.
 Derived from actual problems through full
discussions with rural people and planners
together, they have the following characteristics:
simple and/or specific (S), Measurable (M),
Attainable (A), Realistic (R), Time-bound (T).
The acronym is SMART.

 When the objectives are formulated considering

these characteristics, they can easily be
assessed or evaluated.
 Examples: (1) to increase the yield of rice by at
least 20 percent after two cropping seasons. (2)
To organize a viable farmer organization at the
end of the program duration.
 Ideally, a good working objective expresses a
“perfect agreement” of what rural people feel
they need and what professional change agents
think they thought to have.
 In practice, however, what rural people want
may not be what professional change agent
think they (rural people) need.
 A goal is something toward which efforts or
activities are directed.
 It is usually expressed in terms of quantity and
time frame.
 The type and amount of change intended to be
accomplished and the time period in which they
are expected to be attained are indicated.
 Goals are sources of motivation; they express
the “why” of the teaching activity; and they
establish the coordinated efforts of a number of
agencies involved in the program.
 Funding agencies’ responses are also based on
the stated goals.
 CHOOSING AND DESIGNING THE EXTENSION
STRATEGY
 A strategy is a combination of means to achieve
the program objectives and goals.
1. Selecting the approaches for change – there are
various approaches that may be used for
affecting change. Some of these approaches are
listed below:
 Institutional Approach – the clientele are trained
and organized into associations or cooperatives.
The association serves as the channel for all the
essential and economic services and other
related activities provided by either public or
private sources.
 Commodity Approach – this approach uses the
different types of commodities (crops, livestock,
multiple cropping, irrigation, crop protection,
nutrition, family planning, etc.) as the entry
point for undertaking the rural development
program.
 Integrated approach system – in this approach,
all the concerns of the community are
considered in the development program. The
concept of this approach is that community
needs and problems are interrelated and
therefore should be worked out together or
simultaneously for a more effective rural
development program.
 There are three types of integrated
projects/programs:
 Type I – Agricultural development projects,
which usually include the following agri-support
activities: market for farm products, retail outlets
for farm inputs, production credit, extension
education, etc.
 Type II – Rural development projects with an
agricultural component that may be composed
of selections from those mentioned in Type I.
 Type III – Rural development projects without
an agricultural component that may consist of
selections from the non-agricultural development
activities indicated in Type I.
 Regional, basin, area isolate, or area-based
approach – this approach considers the
geographical situation and area or location to
be covered by the program/project.