Whilst Laurie was still the Senior Lecturer in the Production Engineering department at Brunel College of Advanced Technology, the Senate asked him to chair a group which would advise on the idea of Learning-to-Learn together with Senior Lecturers from each of the other departments. We interviewed various people and discussed and argued at length. But eventually it was decided that the committee should submit a report to Senate.
- Written by the majority of the committee – about how to listen and keep notes, and how to prepare to examinations.
- The Reader in physics & Laurie submitted a report suggesting that staff should develop techniques for helping people learn how to learn.
Whilst the first report was circulated to each department, the second report disappeared into the administrative archives and was subsequently lost.
However it had sown a seed in Laurie’s mind which after a year visit to the USA (in 1962-63) looking at new research into ‘Learning’ and time spent with Prof. Carl Rodgers, Laurie returned to the launching of the Psychology department into Brunel which by then had become a University.
Six years later with a variety of research projects under way, university politics made it necessary to create C.S.H.L. to keep this research going.