I think the point she was making was being very public about the fact she didn't understand. Stating it loudly, rather than sheepishly speaking with the TA and being ashamed.
Being upfront about it and basically letting everyone in the room know she was having a problem broke the ice. There can be a palpable pressure in social situations to conform, like being in a library... the silence of everyone almost has a presence of its own.
In a computer lab, it can be like that. Who knows why the TA changed their tune, maybe they were themselves shamed by their own lack of ability to convey understanding. But for the rest of the lab, once the taboo was broken, apparently the innate desire many people have to lend a hand surfaced.
I can't say why, I wasn't there, but in this case it worked out. People act differently in the anonymity of a crowd, and that is what you basically have in a hushed lab environment. Her plea for help / public admittance of vulnerability was apparently enough to shatter the crowd psychology and the innate desire of individuals to help other individuals came forward.
Being upfront about it and basically letting everyone in the room know she was having a problem broke the ice. There can be a palpable pressure in social situations to conform, like being in a library... the silence of everyone almost has a presence of its own.
In a computer lab, it can be like that. Who knows why the TA changed their tune, maybe they were themselves shamed by their own lack of ability to convey understanding. But for the rest of the lab, once the taboo was broken, apparently the innate desire many people have to lend a hand surfaced.
I can't say why, I wasn't there, but in this case it worked out. People act differently in the anonymity of a crowd, and that is what you basically have in a hushed lab environment. Her plea for help / public admittance of vulnerability was apparently enough to shatter the crowd psychology and the innate desire of individuals to help other individuals came forward.