“what that meant to the original audience,” and “what it means in our context.”2 The OIA method has many benefits. It teaches us to hear the text and respond to it. It trains us in critical thinking and clear communication. It interests postdocs, preschoolers, and everyone in between. It can be learned in five minutes and perfected over a lifetime. The other methods I mentioned aren’t completely wrong, but most of them focus on one skill (observation, interpretation, or application) exclusively. But