A disagreement can persist because two people are answering different questions. One uses “education” to mean attending an institution; another means a change in understanding. Until they notice the difference, they may mistake a dispute about words for a dispute about evidence.
Choose a word carrying weight in a discussion: fairness, freedom, success or evidence. Ask each person for a definition, an example and a case that falls outside the definition. The examples often reveal more than another round of argument.
Test the meaning against a difficult case
Suppose someone defines fairness as treating everyone identically. What happens when a learner needs a different format to access the same material? The example does not settle the debate, but it exposes a consequence the definition must address.
A dictionary can help identify common usage. A historical dictionary can help interpret an older document. Neither removes the need to examine the surrounding passage, the writer's purpose or the meaning being used in the present conversation.
Try writing the disputed claim without its most contentious word. Instead of “This assessment is unfair”, describe who is disadvantaged, by which requirement and why it matters. The revised statement gives the other person something more precise to examine.
When introducing your own definition, make it explicit and use it consistently. If learning means demonstrated understanding at the start of an argument, attendance alone cannot quietly become its measure at the end.
The aim is enough shared meaning to investigate the actual disagreement. You may still reach different judgments, but you will have a better account of where and why you differ.