Dr Sheila Harri-Augstein graduated with first class honours and an MSc by research in Biology (University of Wales) and having qualified as a science teacher went on to Head a Science Department in a Grammar School.
She carried out an action research study with her sixth form and with undergraduates on “Strategies and Tactics of Learning Intellectually Complex Matter” and was awarded her PhD in Psychology, Brunel University, supervised by Laurie Thomas. As Senior Research Fellow at Brunel she lead several research projects including developing Reading to Learn and Learning to Learn Software Packages for Schools and Colleges. As senior Lecturer at Loughborough she was responsible for Educational Psychology for the B.Ed Degree and at the same time produced Course Units on Learning for the Open University. She has also acted as Tutor Monitor and Examiner for the Open University and for the Oxford and Cambridge A Level Exam Boards. As Joint Head of Human Learning at Brunel Sheila has responsibilities for postgraduate supervision leading to Doctorate awards in Human Learning and with Laurie continues to develop a theory of Self-Organised-Learning and a technology of Learning Conversations for the advancement of learning skills and processes. She is Associate Fellow of the BPS, a Chartered Psychologist, Fellow of the RSA and Scientific Fellow of The London Zoological Society. She is a qualified master of Ikebana (Sogetsu School, Japan). As Visiting Professor Sheila has run seminars and advised on research projects in Mexico (UAM), Australia (Armidale) and Madras and run workshops on S-O-L in France, Switzerland, Wales, Ireland and South East Asia. Together with Laurie she is a member of the Concerted Action Expert Group advising on Advanced Learning Technology (ALT) for the EU DELTA Programme.
She has co-authored with Laurie:
- The Art and Science of Getting a Degree (1978) Brunel University Publications;
- Reading to Learn (1982) Methuen; ‘Self-Organised Learning’ (1985) Routledge;
- Learning Conversations (1991) Routledge and with Ian Webb
- Learning to Change (1995) McGraw Hill.
She has also presented TV and Radio programmes on Learning-to-Learn and on the Zen Art of Ikebana.