Models of And usually a discussion is preceded by some kind of introductory
 presentation. Also, the significance of action-based learning is
Extension Work usually only brought out in a follow-up discussion.
 A good extension worker can switch between the modes; good
 extension work employs a mix of presentations, discussions and
 action. To use a variety of methods is to stimulate interest, main-
 tain attention and maximize the opportunities for learning.

 CHOOSING THE MODE
 The most vital factor in deciding which mode to use will be our
 educational objectives. These objectives will relate to the three
 main kinds of experience or "spheres" of learning that have been
 discussed in Chapter Two:
 KNOWLEDGE
 SKILLS
 ATTITUDES
 In our working relationships with farmers, we will be concerned
 to increase knowledge, develop skills or influence attitudes.
 It is not an easy task to work out how these three spheres relate
 to each other-what the relationship is between changes in
 knowledge and changes in attitude-and how changes in both
 affect changes in behaviour. How, for instance, can we explain the
 smoker who knows the way cigarettes can damage his health and
 yet he doesn't stop smoking? How can we explain the smoker who
 knows the risks, feels guilty about the anti-social aspects of smok-
 ing, and still he doesn't stop? How can we explain the farmer who
 knows the advantages of adopting a certain agricultural practice
 and yet he doesn't do it?
 The way an individual will respond to a learning situation is not
 predictable; his response will depend on a complex of personality,
 cultural and environmental pressures, as explored in Chapter
 Three. It is this unpredictability that makes a business like
 extension more a sensitive art than a systematic science.
 However, this is not to say that we should leave everything to
 intuition or reactions of the moment. Good extension work usually
 depends on careful planning. The more we know about the farm-
 ers in our community, the more we know how they are likely to
 respond under certain circumstances-the more we prepare for a


Chapter 5