Extension
Teaching
Methods
Extension teaching methods
According to Leagans (1961), extension teaching methods are
devices used to create situation in which communication
can take place between the instructor and the learners
Extension methods are the teaching devices used by the
extension worker in diffusion and adoption of information.
Classification of teaching methods
Classification according to Use
Individual contact : farm & home visit, office call,
telephone call, personal call
Group contact : methods and result demonstration,
meeting , training, tours, Field trip
• Group meeting
• Focus group Discussions
• Lecture
• Panel discussion(4-7) small group of speaker
• Seminar-group meeting for discussion and exchange of ideas
• Workshop
• Symposium-2-5 people give short prepared papers on a given topic, no interaction
• Buzz session
Mass contact: all printed materials, news stories,
radio/television, exhibits, posters
Classification according to Form:
Written: all printed materials, circular letters, personal letters
Visual: exhibits, result demonstration, poster and charts,
television, meeting, film, picture, motion pictures,
demonstration, tours
Spoken: lecture, conference, panel, recording, farm and
home visit, meeting
Doing : Demonstration, practical, OJT, guided experience,
performance
Important consideration in the selection and use of
extension teaching methods
• The nature and complexity of subject matter
• The educational change expected in the people as specified
in teaching objective
• The socio economic importance of change desired
• The extent to which people already know about and are
practicing the recommended change
• The amount of time extension worker expect to devote
Individual methods of extension
The most universally used extension methods in both
developed and developing countries
The extension agent meets the farmer at home or on the farm
and discusses issues of mutual interest, giving the farmer both
information and advice.
The personal influence of the extension worker can be a
critical factor in helping a farmer through difficult decisions,
and can also be instrumental in getting the farmer to
participate in extension activities
Individual meetings are probably the most important aspect of
all extension work and invaluable for building confidence
between the agent and the farmer.
Objectives of Individual contact:
• To develop good relation with farmers and build confidence in them.
• To Obtain or Give information
• To discuss individual or Village Problems
• To find out the problems that the farmer is not aware of and to
prepare accordingly
• To teach Skills
Farm visits
Farm visits are the most common form of personal contact
between the agent and the farmer and often constitute over 50
percent of the agent's extension activities
- Familiarize the extension agent with the farmer and his
family;
- enable him to give specific advice or information to the
farmer;
- build up the agent's knowledge of the area, and of the kinds
of problems which farmers face;
- permit him to explain a new recommended practice or follow
up and observe results to date;
- Arouse general interest among the farmers and stimulate
their involvement in extension activities.
Check list
- Make an appointment if possible.
- Decide the purpose of the visit.
- Review previous records and information.
- Prepare subject matter specialist that might be required.
- Schedule the visit into the overall work plan.
Office calls
The more confidence local farmers have in the extension agent, the
more likely they are to visit him. Such office visits are less time
consuming for the extension worker, and offer some of the
advantages of a farm visit.
- ensuring that access to the extension office is adequately posted and
the agent's name displayed;
- having a notice-board clearly displayed upon which useful, up-to-date
information can be pinned;
- having one or two chairs where visitors can wait for appointments;
- displaying any bulletins, circulars or other written extension literature
that the visitor can read.
Letters
• can be a follow-up inquiry resulting from an agent's farm visit, or
sent because a farmer is unable to make a personal office visit
• Problems can arise with the use of words or complex
technological language
• The letter should be in the local language, preferably not on
impressively headed writing-paper, and should always contain
some personal greeting to the farmer.
- letters should be clear and concise, so as not to confuse the
reader;
-
- the information in the letter should be complete and relevant to
the issues raised;
-
- where possible, letters should be answered promptly. If time is
needed to collect information for the reply, a short letter of
acknowledgement should be sent;
-
- a copy of the letter must always be made and entered in the
office file.
Telephone calls
• Telephone calls and office visits serve a very similar purpose.
• passing on specific advice or information
• it is important for the agent to speak clearly, to note the
main points discussed and to enter them on the farmer's
record.
Informal contacts
Market days, holiday celebrations or religious events
Group methods of extension
The group method offers the possibility of greater extension
coverage, and is therefore more cost-effective.
Extension worker can reach more farmers and in this way
make contact with many more farmers who have had no
previous contact with extension activities.
The support of the group helps an individual farmer to make
decisions and determine a course of action
Demonstrations
Farmers like to see how a new idea works, and also what effect it
can have on increasing their crop production
The demonstration is a particularly powerful method to use
with farmers who do not read easily
Method Demonstration
• Method demonstrations basically show farmers how to do
something.
• A demonstration give farmers the opportunity to observe, at
first hand, the differences between a recommended new crop
practice and traditional practices to know how to do it
themselves.(Burdizzo Castrator/ ricebed prepn)
It is based on the principle of “Learning By doing”
Objectives:
• To enable farmers to acquire new skills
• To make the farmers do things effectively.
• To improve farmers traditional skills.
• To convince farmers that the new practice is applicable in their
situation.
Pre-demonstration
• Observe existing skills or practices
• Identify the practices difference
• Decide mutually the time and location
• Work out action plan
• Ensure resources available and participation of people
• Rehearse
Conducting demo
• Start demo step by step emphasizing relative advantage
• Ensure every one can see and hear you and repeat if necessary
• Guide each participant to practice new skill
• Encourage feedback from participant
• Emphasize key points at the end
Post demo- follow up
• Visit the individual Villagers and their field as planned
• Guide the villagers in the adoption of the method
• Interact with villagers and get feedback
• Use the demonstrator farmer as reference and resource
person
Result demonstration
It is the way of showing people the value or worth of something.
It is based on the principle of “Seeing is Believing”
Result demonstration is useful to convince villagers about the
advantages of a new practice under local conditions.
The difference between results convince and encourage
farmers to adopt the new technology or practice.
Result demonstration may be Varietal, manurial, cultural,
combination of two or more practices, package of practices.
Objectives
• To introduce new practices to farmers
• to show the utility and feasibility of a recommended
practice Under farmers condition.
• To encourage farmers as well as extension workers
Minikit trial/Adoption trial
It is the method by which the suitability of a new practice to a
given locality under farmers condition is determined.
• Small sized observation plots are laid out simultaneously
• The package of practices including seed is distributed to
farmers.
• The result of this trial is collected by the research programme
and analyzed by the researcher.
Mass Media
Broadcasted media: Radio, Television, OHP
printed media:Newspaper, pamphlet, leaflet, folder, books,
magazines
Internet/email/websites/ blogs- Social Media= twitter, facebook,
whatsapp, instagram, hike, snapchat, omegle, tinder, happn
wechat, Imo, Viber etc
Advantages
• Reinforce individual and group contact method by complimenting
or supplementing them
• Can reach larger and varied audience
• Save time and expenses
Factors affecting selection of teaching methods
Audience based consideration
• Size, age, ethnicity, caste, income level and social status of audience
• Educational change expected in people
• Extent to which people already know
Agency based consideration
• Size of manpower , financial and other resources
• Geographical coverage
• No. of people to be involved
• Content consideration
• Personality and skill of the worker
Teacher and tool based consideration
• Amount of time teacher expect to devote
• Availability of communication media
Subject matter based consideration
• The nature and complexity of subject matter: old/new,
simple/complex
• Relative social and economic importance of subject matter
• The relative effectiveness of the method