Types of Learning & Domains of Learning
1. Types of Learning; Learning is defined as a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs as a result of experience or practice.
Common Types of Learning (Based on educational psychology):
Type | Description | Example in Extension |
Motor Learning | Learning through muscular coordination | Ploughing, spraying pesticides |
Verbal Learning | Learning through language, symbols | Reading pamphlets, listening to talks |
Concept Learning | Recognizing patterns and categories | Understanding “organic farming” concept |
Discrimination Learning | Distinguishing between stimuli | Identifying crop vs. weed |
Problem-solving Learning | Logical reasoning and innovation | Finding solutions to low yield |
Attitude Learning | Developing opinions or feelings | Positive attitude towards scientific practices |
Serial Learning | Learning in sequence | Steps in vermicomposting or irrigation system |
Associative Learning | Linking two stimuli/events | Farmer associating pests with damaged leaves |
Domains of Learning; Developed by Benjamin Bloom and colleagues, learning objectives are divided into three domains:
- Cognitive Domain (Knowledge-based)
Focuses on mental skills and knowledge acquisition.
Levels of Cognitive Domain (Bloom’s Taxonomy – Revised):
Level | Action Verbs | Example |
1. Remembering | Recall, list, define | List the types of fertilizers |
2. Understanding | Explain, describe | Explain crop rotation |
3. Applying | Use, solve | Apply fertilizer calculations |
4. Analyzing | Differentiate, compare | Compare organic and chemical farming |
5. Evaluating | Judge, critique | Evaluate effectiveness of drip irrigation |
6. Creating | Design, formulate | Develop a farm plan |
- Affective Domain (Attitude-based)
Focuses on emotions, attitudes, values, and feelings.
Levels of Affective Domain (Krathwohl’s Taxonomy):
Level | Description | Example |
1. Receiving | Awareness, willingness to listen | Attending a field demonstration |
2. Responding | Active participation | Asking questions in training |
3. Valuing | Showing commitment | Supporting organic farming practices |
4. Organization | Integrating values | Prioritizing eco-friendly practices |
5. Characterization | Consistent behavior | Lifelong commitment to sustainable agriculture |
- Psychomotor Domain (Skill-based)
Focuses on physical skills and motor activities.
Simpson’s Psychomotor Levels (commonly used):
Level | Description | Example |
1. Perception | Sensory cues to guide action | Identifying pest symptoms |
2. Set | Readiness to act | Willing to use new tools |
3. Guided Response | Imitation of action | Practicing sowing with guidance |
4. Mechanism | Skill with confidence | Operating seed drill machine |
5. Complex Overt Response | Precision performance | Performing grafting independently |
6. Adaptation | Modifying skills | Altering sowing method based on soil type |
7. Origination | Creating new movement patterns | Innovating a farm tool |
Learning Theories; Learning theories explain how people acquire, process, and retain knowledge during learning. In extension education, these theories guide the design of teaching methods and materials.
- Behaviorism
- Key Theorists: B.F. Skinner, Ivan Pavlov, J.B. Watson
- Concept: Learning is a change in behavior due to stimulus-response (S-R) associations.
- Method: Reinforcement (positive/negative), conditioning.
- Example: A farmer adopts a new practice after repeated demonstration and reward.
- Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning and Skinner’s Operant Conditioning are core models.
- Cognitivism
- Key Theorists: Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner
- Concept: Learning is a mental process involving memory, thinking, problem-solving, and understanding.
- Focuses on how information is received, organized, stored, and retrieved by the mind.
- Example: A farmer learns to calculate fertilizer dosage through mental processing.
- Constructivism
- Key Theorists: Lev Vygotsky, John Dewey, Piaget (also)
- Concept: Learners actively construct their own knowledge based on experiences.
- Learning is learner-centered, contextual, and social.
- Example: Farmers co-learn during participatory rural appraisal (PRA) or field schools.
Experiential Learning
Concept:
- Learning through direct experience, reflection, and active involvement.
- Learners do, observe, reflect, and apply.
- “Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience.” – David A. Kolb
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (1984)
Stage | Explanation |
Concrete Experience | Doing/having an experience (e.g., field demonstration) |
Reflective Observation | Thinking about the experience (discussion, feedback) |
Abstract Conceptualization | Learning from the experience (theory, principles) |
Active Experimentation | Applying the learning (trying new methods/practices) |
This cycle is continuous and helps deepen learning.
