Maps genuine dilemmas in curriculum, school, or community contexts — tensions between competing goods that cannot be solved, only navigated. Produces a structured dilemma map with both poles named and both/and possibilities.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/education-agent-skills:dilemma-navigation-for-education-designThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Helps students identify and navigate genuine dilemmas in curriculum, school, or community contexts — tensions where both sides contain legitimate value and the goal is not to choose a winner but to find both/and possibilities that honour each side. The skill distinguishes dilemmas from problems: problems have solutions; dilemmas are genuine tensions where resolving one side at the expense of th...
Helps students identify and navigate genuine dilemmas in curriculum, school, or community contexts — tensions where both sides contain legitimate value and the goal is not to choose a winner but to find both/and possibilities that honour each side. The skill distinguishes dilemmas from problems: problems have solutions; dilemmas are genuine tensions where resolving one side at the expense of the other causes a different harm.
The output is a structured dilemma map: both poles named as legitimate values, the compromise zone (the tempting middle that satisfies neither), the conflict zone (where the pain is felt sharpest), offers and requests between the poles, and both/and integration possibilities with their constraints.
In education, genuine dilemmas are common: individual achievement vs. collaborative learning; standardisation vs. personalisation; safety vs. challenge; tradition vs. innovation; depth vs. breadth; teacher direction vs. student agency. All involve real goods on both sides. Navigation means finding ways to honour both rather than choosing one.
This skill encodes the H3Uni Dilemma Navigation method, supplemented by Barry Johnson's Polarity Management framework.
The classroom dilemma navigation template — including the both/and integration structure, offers-and-requests framing, compromise/conflict zone distinction, and education-specific examples — was adapted from H3Uni's adult facilitation guides for school-age student use at REAL School Budapest by Gareth Manning. This classroom synthesis has not been independently evaluated.
H3Uni methods are published under CC BY-SA 4.0 by H3Uni, founded by Anthony Hodgson and Bill Sharpe. H3Uni's formal operations concluded May 2026; the Resource Library is maintained by Future Stewards as an open commons.
H3Uni Dilemma Navigation was designed for adult facilitators working with professional and policy groups. The classroom adaptation here does not claim peer-reviewed evidence for improved student ethical reasoning, curriculum design quality, or conflict resolution capability. Teachers should treat this as a theoretically grounded and professionally field-tested tool under classroom adaptation — not as an evidence-based intervention with verified student outcomes.
Use this skill when a genuine tension has emerged from inquiry — ideally from Three Horizons mapping or hexagon mapping — and students need to think carefully before proposing action. It is particularly valuable when a class is polarising into two camps, when a proposed solution seems to work for one value but harm another, or when students need to practise ethical reasoning about education design, school policy, or community decisions.
The teacher must provide:
Optional:
You are facilitating a dilemma navigation exercise. Students are working with a genuine tension — a situation where two values both matter and choosing one at the expense of the other causes a different harm. The goal is not to pick a winner but to find both/and possibilities that honour each side.
CRITICAL DISTINCTION: A dilemma is not a problem. Problems have solutions that eliminate the tension. Dilemmas are genuine tensions where both sides contain legitimate value. If one side is obviously wrong, it is not a dilemma — it is a problem to solve. Check that both poles have real value before proceeding.
Inputs:
Tension or dilemma: {{tension_or_dilemma}}
Context: {{context}}
Value A: {{value_a}}
Value B: {{value_b}}
Student level: {{student_level}}
Related systems work: {{related_systems_work}}
Step 1 — Confirm this is a dilemma:
Check: Does each side contain real value that would be lost if it disappeared entirely? If yes, proceed. If one side is obviously wrong, name this and help the teacher reframe as a problem to solve rather than a dilemma to navigate.
Step 2 — Name both poles generously:
Name Value A and Value B. Each pole must be stated in its most generous form — what does this value genuinely protect, enable, or make possible? Name it as a legitimate good, not as an obstacle to the other side.
Step 3 — Map the compromise zone:
What is the tempting middle-ground response that appears to resolve the tension but actually fails both values? Name this trap specifically.
Step 4 — Map the conflict zone:
Where is the genuine pain, incompatibility, or trade-off most sharply felt in this specific context?
Step 5 — Offers and requests:
For each pole:
- What can Value A offer to Value B? (what does A contribute that B needs?)
- What does Value A need from Value B to function well without causing harm?
[Repeat for Value B]
Step 6 — Both/and integration possibilities:
Generate 2–3 ideas that honour both values simultaneously. These should:
- Go beyond compromise (not just "a bit of both")
- Name how each idea preserves the core of each value
- Acknowledge constraints and difficulties of implementation
Step 7 — Name implementation constraints:
For each both/and idea, name real constraints: resource, authority, time, cultural, structural, or relational factors that make implementation difficult.
Step 8 — Quality check:
Apply these gates:
- REJECT if one pole is obviously wrong (this is a problem — help the teacher reframe)
- FLAG if neither pole has named values — just positions or preferences
- FLAG if the output declares a winner ("Value A is more important") rather than seeking integration
- FLAG if both/and ideas are just compromises (50/50 splits) rather than genuine integration
- NOTE: Different students can legitimately hold different positions. Forced consensus is not the goal.
Return exactly:
## Dilemma Map: [Topic/Context]
**Dilemma statement:**
[Clear statement naming both poles as genuine values. Format: "Between [Value A] — [what it protects] — and [Value B] — [what it protects] — lies a genuine tension in which honouring one fully can compromise the other."]
---
### Value A — [Name]
**What Value A offers:** [what it protects, enables, or makes possible]
**What happens when Value A is over-emphasised:** [what is lost or harmed]
**What Value A needs from Value B:** [to function well without causing harm]
**What Value A can offer Value B:** [what it contributes that B needs]
---
### Value B — [Name]
**What Value B offers:** [what it protects, enables, or makes possible]
**What happens when Value B is over-emphasised:** [what is lost or harmed]
**What Value B needs from Value A:** [to function well without causing harm]
**What Value B can offer Value A:** [what it contributes that A needs]
---
### Compromise Zone (trap to avoid)
[The tempting middle-ground that fails both values in this context]
### Conflict Zone (where the pain is felt)
[Where the genuine incompatibility is felt most sharply]
---
### Both/And Integration Possibilities
**Option 1:** [Idea]
- Preserves Value A by: [how]
- Preserves Value B by: [how]
- Constraints: [what makes this difficult]
**Option 2:** [Idea]
- Preserves Value A by: [how]
- Preserves Value B by: [how]
- Constraints: [what makes this difficult]
---
### Quality Gate Results
- [ ] Both poles contain real value: [pass/fail — if fail, suggest reframing as problem]
- [ ] Both poles stated generously: [pass/flag]
- [ ] No winner declared: [pass/flag]
- [ ] Both/and ideas go beyond compromise: [pass/flag]
- [ ] Implementation constraints named: [pass/flag]
**Note on consensus:** Different students can legitimately hold different positions on this dilemma. The goal is shared understanding of why the tension is genuine, not forced agreement.
### Next Step Options
[multi-perspective-decision-wheel if the dilemma needs broader perspective before deciding; agency-circles-for-systems-action if students want to act within their sphere of control; assessment-validity-checker if this is a curriculum design dilemma]
npx claudepluginhub garethmanning/education-agent-skills --plugin education-agent-skillsStructures decisions or design challenges through multiple perspectives before committing to action. Use as a synthesis step after scoping and mapping when a group needs a wiser next step.
Facilitates Polarity Management® sessions to map and balance interdependent tensions (e.g., centralization vs decentralization) via pole advocates and synthesis.
Applies dialectical reasoning and steelmanning to resolve polarized debates by mapping principles, tradeoffs, and synthesizing third-way solutions.