
Big Screen Editing

Jeff Moffitt
Creative Accounts Manager, Jostens
Jeff advised the award-winning Olympia HS [FL] yearbook and newspaper for 11 years. He is a National Board Certified teacher in career and technical education. JEA named him a Special Recognition Yearbook Adviser in 2010 and a Rising Star in 2006.
When doing this, first ask the student whose spread is being critiqued what their favorite thing about it is. This is crucial because it might be best to critique their favorite element in private. If you don’t know what they love about the spread and it is immediately criticized, feelings will be hurt and the staffer won’t listen to anything else that is said after that. Once the student identifies what they love, ask them what they would change now that they see it magnified. By self-critiquing, they are opening themselves up to receiving critical feedback from other staff members.
Yes; this takes a lot of time. But it is an investment that is well worth it. Every student is learning invaluable editing skills and receiving feedback to immediately apply to their own spreads. In a perfect world, it would be terrific to do this every Monday. If time doesn’t allow, at least invest in critiquing a few spreads before every deadline.
An alternative to this is for two to three students to pair up and take turns reviewing their work. The other students can continue working on their spreads.