How do I know what I know?

To assist students to develop a sense of intellectual humility, the teacher can show them an ambiguous picture or optical illusion, such as the one below, and ask them to write down what they perceive. The teacher inquires as to how they know they are correct about what they are seeing. Then, the teacher can ask them to discuss their thoughts and rationale with one or more classmates.

When this type of activity is conducted on a regular basis, it helps students recognize that what they are so certain about may appear differently to others who see the same thing but perceive it differently, for reasons they can defend.