Response - Centered Talk, McGee

I read the article by McGee about response centered talk and using it to teach literacy. Response centered talk is "the discovery or construction of new understandings about literature" (McGee). I enjoy the idea of children coming to understand literature through discovery and not having the teacher spell everything out for the children. I also like this idea because it does not focus on the aspects of literature that are often harped on by teachers like vocabulary. I really like the idea of discussing literature with the students. In my experience children do not get to discuss what they read enough. I also think discussion is a good outlet for students to talk about what they have read instead of writing about it. Not all students like to write or are good at it, and this could be a way for the students to feel comfortable with their performance.
The only problem I have with this idea is that it is an approach that is encouraged by teachers of all subjects. We have been taught to teach science, social studies and math as exploration subjects where the students need to discover the knowledge. While I do agree with this I am also a person who needs a lot of structure and a clear path and I think if I had been taught in this manner as a student I would have been extremely irritated. I also can't help but think of students who have learning disabilities who need very clear directions. I think that a healthy balance of both would be ideal, and then students who need more direct instruction can have it.