Legal Education and Massification: Reflections, Opportunities, and Challenges of the Lecture Method

Abstract

In contexts of high student attendance, as recently observed in many law schools across the country, traditional didactic strategies have been challenged by massification, generating both opportunities and tensions in teaching practices. This article aims to reflect on the challenges encountered by male and female educators when working with large classes, exploring alternatives that may foster fluent communication, active engagement of male and female students, and the full realization of the pedagogical act. Based on a study conducted at the Faculty of Law and Social Sciences of the National University of Tucumán – between March and April 2025 – the implementation of the lecture method was examined as a potential strategy to address issues arising from massification. Its strengths were highlighted, its limitations acknowledged, and several actions were proposed to enhance the educational journey, ensuring that classrooms continue to serve as spaces for encounter, discussion, debate, and reflection, even in highly populated settings. Through this contribution, an effort was made to rethink and reshape the lecture method, by analyzing the challenges that emerged and the opportunities identified within the teaching-learning process in legal education, and the type of learning intended to be fostered among male and female students.