Agricultural Education Field Trips

Course Information

• Course code: ARD 301
• Course title: Extension Teaching, Learning Process and Methods
• Lecturer: C.I. Alarima (Ph.D)

Importance of the Course

• Learning is a lifelong process where individuals and others endeavor to change behavior, acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes.
• Extension agents, agricultural officers, and change agents are all involved in this learning process.

Outline of Today's Class

• Definition of Learning
• Elements of Learning
• Kinds of Learning
• Principles of Learning
• Simple Learning Process

Definitions of Learning

• Learning is a fascinating and interesting topic with varied psychological perspectives.
• Learning occurs when someone adopts new or modifies existing behaviors, influencing future performance and attitudes.
• Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavioral potential resulting from reinforced practice.

Aspects or Elements of Learning

• Learning involves changes in behavior, knowledge, skills, or attitudes.
• These changes are relatively permanent, not temporary.
• Learning is a result of experience.
• Learning may not always be directly observable, but it can be inferred.

Kinds of Learning

• Motor learning
• Affective learning
• Verbal learning
• Cognitive learning
• Other forms: habit learning, social learning, trial and error, observational learning, insightful learning, etc.

General Principles of Learning

• Learning involves experiencing, doing, reacting, or undergoing.
• Responses are modified by their consequences.
• Learning is energetically pursued when initiated by need and purpose.
• Learning is affected by individual differences.
• Learning is enhanced when experiences, goals, and materials are adjusted to the learner's level of maturation.
• Learning improves when satisfying results follow learning episodes.
• Repetition is essential for learning.
• Positive and negative reinforcement efficiently accelerates learning when appropriately applied.
• Motivated learners learn quicker and more effectively.
• Learners with adequate readiness and use of all five senses learn better.
• Learning environments must be conducive.
• Learning should be progressive, continuous, and systematic.

The Simple Learning Process

• Learning involves awareness, need, action, and satisfaction.

Methods of Teaching

• Demonstration method: Useful for learning practical skills, involving showcasing the task.
  • Method demonstration: demonstrating the steps,
  • Result demonstration: demonstrating outcome,
  • Laboratory method: using experiments or specific set-ups.
• Discussion method: Stimulates learning through group interaction, encouraging ideas and judgments.
• Problem Solving Method/Discovery: Tackling real-world problems.
• Field trip: Experiential learning by visiting outside the classroom.

Variety of Teaching Methods

• Individual contact methods: Face-to-face interaction between the extension worker and farmer e.g., home visits, office calls, etc.
• Group contact methods: Face-to-face interaction with a group of farmers at the same time; useful when time/staff is limited; includes demonstration, meetings, lectures, group discussion, workshops, etc.
• Mass media methods: Broadcasting information to many people at once, such as leaflets, bulletins, circulars, radio, television, and cinema.

Preparation and Use of Teaching Material and Aids

• Instructional materials are devices helping pupils/farmers understand the subject matter.
• Materials augment the personality of the instructor, adding interest and vitality to learning and training.
• Effective materials aid comprehension, experience, knowledge acquisition, and lessen classroom boredom.
• Aids stimulate interest and sustain learner interest.

Classification of Instructional Materials

• Projected instructional materials: Require power (electricity) to operate, include overhead projectors, films, etc.
• Non-projected instructional materials: Do not need power, include flip charts, graphs, etc.

Classification of Instructional Materials based on the Sense Organ

• Visual aids: Engage the sense of sight (real objects, diagrams)
• Audio aids: Engage the sense of hearing (radio, cassette tapes)
• Audio-visual aids: Engage sight and hearing (TV, videotapes)

Nature and Elements of Communication Process

• Extension education centers on communication; the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and skills between individuals.
• Technical knowledge is useless without acceptance, adaptation to the client's needs, and integration into daily practices.

Characteristics of Extension Communication

• Extension communication is a two-way process.
• It should impart and convey ideas.
• The facts must be accurate, clear, and appropriate.
• Communication must be organized logically and sequentially.
• Receivers must cooperate.
• Clear words and conformity to local customs are crucial.
• Communicators should highlight any unintended consequences of the message and provide clarity on those concerns.

Major Elements in Communication (SMCRE Model)

• The process involves changing ideas into a message with symbolic meanings.
• A source encodes the message and transmits it through a channel to a receiver.
• The receiver decodes the message, making sense of it.
• The source assesses the receiver's response ("feedback") .

Source/Sender- Communicator in extension

• Person or group who initiates the process
• Credibility is crucial for effectiveness
• Knowledge of the intended audience, wants, and needs is essential.
• Interest in and concern for the audience's welfare is vital.
• Careful preparation using appropriate materials and speaking clearly and understandably are key attributes.

Message

• Message is the information the communicator aims to convey to the audience; The specific technology-related information pertinent to the situation.
• Message content should align with the recipient's interests and needs; it should be accurate, valid, and timely.

Channels

• Extension methods used to reach the intended audience; varies by the number of individuals involved.

Receiver/Audience

• Individuals receiving the information; grouped according to relevant factors (interests, needs, farm size).

Decoding

• The receiver's interpretation of the message and what they derive from it.

Feedback

• The receiver's response to the message signifying comprehension.

Noise

• Any interference disrupting the communication process.

Encoding

• Method of transforming concepts into understandable symbols (words, actions).

Problems in Agricultural Communication

• Process barriers (any element in the communication process),
• Personal barriers (ability to communicate effectively, receiver's info processing),
• Physical barriers (environment),
• Semantic barriers (encoding/decoding errors),
• Feed-forward problems (prior knowledge),
• Homophily/heterophily (similarities or differences between sender and receiver).

Overcoming Agricultural Communication Problems

• Avoiding unintended non-verbal signals,
• Relevant messages that address the client's needs,
• Using appropriate communication channels and combining methods,
• Considering individual differences in learning and previous interactions,
• Supplementation by visuals and personal experience,
• Making the physical environment conductive to learning.

Learning Theories

• Stimulus-Response (S-R)
• Cognitive

Thorndike's Laws of Learning

• Law of Readiness
• Law of Exercise
• Law of Effect
• Law of Multiple Response
• The Law of Associative Shifting
• Pre-potency of Elements
• Law of Response by Analogy
• The Law of Set or Attitude

Operant Learning Theory Principles

• Behavior followed by reinforcement increases frequency.
• Behavior not followed by reinforcement decreases frequency.
• Behavior followed by punishment decreases frequency.

Types of Reinforcers

• Social reinforcers (praise, recognition, etc.)
• Tangible rewards (money, etc.)
• Token rewards (not tangible)

Cognitive Theories

• Focus on effective learning through maximizing brain potential;
• Connecting new information to existing knowledge strengthens memory and retention.

Fundamental Aspects of Cognitive Learning

• Comprehension: Understanding the reason for learning.
• Memory: Effective knowledge acquisition, relating new information to prior experiences.
• Application: Applying learned knowledge and skills to everyday situations.

Cognitive Categories

• Social Cognitive
• Cognitive Behavioral

Positive Effects of Cognitive Learning

• Enhances learning, boosts confidence
• Enhances comprehension, improves problem-solving skills
• Facilitates faster learning, encourages abstract thought (concept formation).