Mayfield's THINKING FOR YOURSELF fully integrates critical thinking with composition and reading. Rather than teaching from the "outside in" of rules and imitation, the text offers students an "inside out" approach for improving their own thinking, perceiving, writing, and awareness skills. With each chapter building upon previously developed skills, students learn how to write more detailed description as they learn to observe better; to write reports where they can separate facts from inferences, opinions, and assumptions; and finally to write an argumentative research paper grounded in step-by-step skill development in reasoning and critical analysis. Its hallmark features include interesting readings, cartoons, multiple options for application and testing, and a lively explanation of critical thinking concepts and standards. In 2016, THINKING FOR YOURSELF won the Textbook & Academic Authors Association’s McGuffey Longevity Award for demonstrated excellence over 15 years.
