Life lessons from an optical illusions web site

Crossposted at Street Prophets: Faith and Politics

First of all, I'd like to thank Pastor Dan for inviting me to be one of the front page posters at here at Street Prophets. I only hope I can prove worthy of the honor. I've already told a little bit about myself here in the Speaking in Tongues diary.

The other day, when Pastor Dan wrote the introductory diary on Daily Kos in which he listed me as one of the front page posters, I started trying to think of what I could write about. But I found myself unable to devote much attention to that question, because I was so focused on starting off the new quarter on a positive note. Last night I taught my first psych class of the fall quarter, and now I have my topic for my first Street Prophets diary.

Optical illusions.

I bet you didn't see *that* coming.

I have been teaching psychology courses on a part time basis for almost ten years. Pretty early on, I discovered that some classes were really involved and engaged, and we could have really great discussions. In other classes, it was almost impossible to get students to talk. Present a question for discussion, and I'd be met with prolonged, awkward silence. And once I had a room full of zipped lips for the first couple class meetings of the quarter, it seemed there was very little I could do to turn things around.

One thing I've found is that getting the students actually *talking* about something fun and interesting on the first day was a good way to set the tone and create a classroom atmosphere where students were *willing* to speak up. Back when I first started student teaching in graduate school (a lifetime ago!) I asked a more experienced student teacher for suggestions. She said that she has students introduce themselves on the first day of class, and, in addition to asking them to give their name and major, she asks them each to share something interesting about themselves.

But you know what I've discovered? People actually find that to be an intimidating question. "Something interesting about me? No, there's nothing interesting about me." Sure there is! But a lot of students had a really hard time answering that question. Maybe they thought it would sound like boasting, or maybe that's just a difficult question for people to answer about themselves. It's a lot easier, I suppose, to pinpoint what's interesting about another person. Whatever the reason, I realized that just wasn't going to be a good way to break the ice at the beginning of the quarter.

Finally, after lots of trial and error, I hit upon an idea. What if, instead saving the fun optical illusions web site for the chapter on Sensation and Perception, I moved that to the first day of the quarter? Eureka! That was it!

Here's the site. There are all kinds of optical illusions on that site, but what I have students focus on are the images that can be seen two different ways. The most famous of these reversible images is probably the face-vase image seen here.

Can you see the vase in the center? Now can you shift your perspective and see two faces? That's one of the easier ones. A lot of the reversible images on that site are trickier. Like this one--can you see both the father (old man) and the son (young man)?

That one, like some others on the site, can be a little trickier. Some people can look and look, but only be able to see one or the other. I instruct the students not to give up--don't move on until you can see the image both ways. If necessary--and it usually is--ask a neighbor for help. What follows is always fun to watch...

"I see the young man, but not the old man."
"Here it is" this is his nose, here's his mouth..."
"I'm still not seeing it..."
"Here's his eye, and his eyebrow..."
"I'm still not--Wait! Oh my gosh! I see it!!"

After the students finish looking at all of the images, I ask them what they think the lesson was supposed to be. Some common responses:

--take a closer look
--things aren't always what they seem/there's more than one way to look at things
--don't give up too easily. Keep trying, and you'll get it

There are many potential lessons to be learned, and they are all valid. But I have two lessons that are my favorites, because I think they convey things that are pretty important in life, but do so in a nonthreatening context.

First, sometimes you'll "get it" easily, and sometimes you'll struggle. If you're having a hard time "getting it", it's perfectly okay to say so and ask for help. It doesn't make you any less smart or talented than other people; it just means that *this time* you're feeling stuck or confused, and you could use some help figuring things out. Next time you could be the one who "gets it", and will be able to help someone else.

Secondly, very often in life there is more than one valid way to look at a situation. But sometimes we get so emotionally invested in proving that *our* way is right, that we're not even willing to *consider* that there could be another way of looking at the picture...much less actually *trying* to shift our perspective and see things another way. Of course, with these images, we know going into the exercise that there *are* two "correct" ways of seeing them, so shifting perspectives in this case isn't risky or threatening. But still, there's something very satisfying--and very hopeful--about hearing people say, even in this small way: "I don't understand, but I want to. Help me see what this looks like from your perspective."