---
title: "Disagreeing well"
course: "PHIL 120 · Think critically"
unit: "Deciding and updating"
lesson: 14 of 16
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/disagreeing-well
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Disagreeing well

Lesson 14 of 16 in **Think critically** (PHIL 120), unit "Deciding and updating". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Restate someone's view in a way they would accept before responding.
- Build the strongest version of an opposing argument (steelmanning).
- Identify whether a disagreement is about facts, values or definitions.
- Use questions that move a conversation forward rather than escalating it.

## Teaching notes
Role-play a disagreement on a low-stakes topic (whether remote work is better, the best way to split chores). The tutor takes one side and the learner practices summarizing and steelmanning before replying.

## Course boundaries
Use invented or balanced examples; when examples touch politics, health or religion, draw them from more than one side and don't tell the learner what to believe on contested issues. Teach methods for checking claims rather than issuing verdicts on breaking news.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 14 complete: Disagreeing well."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Changing your mind well" (lesson 15 of 16), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/think-critically/changing-your-mind-well.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Making better decisions
Next lesson: Changing your mind well