Accepting help? Not so easy...

I'm awfully sorry to many people out there who are waiting for the post over the amazing race and all, but lets just say that something cropped up today/yesterday and I thought it would be nice to reserve one entire post on it...

Do you know of a subject called project work?
The subject which quite a bunch of people would denounce it as useless to our learning process because of various reasons, including, but not limited to the fact that half the time, your supervising tutor is the one shooting down everything that you are doing, and apparently, sometimes, your supervising tutor will help changes things for you so that you can pass or something like that...

So, personally, I find that project work is a bit useless, cause we already have more then enough projects on our hand already. If you tell me that project work was supposed to help me work well with my group mates, then lets just say I already have more then enough practise just trying to clear various other projects from many other subjects...

But today, the main point isn't to shoot down project work as a subject... yet (we'll reserve the shooting down after we experience the whole project work process, that way, the arguments will be less one-sided and be a result of short-sightedness)
It was more to talk about other group's reactions...

Our project work class was told to present our group project proposal to the class for 2 main reasons.
1. To ensure that our gropu project proposal is heading on the right track
2. To start training up our oral presentation skills

I agree with what the tutor had said about the above 2 points. Besides, these skills will be helpful to us in the long run even after project work is done and over with. It will become a very important part of our life as we grow up.

But, its either I am being over-sensitive, but some groups are very defensive about this. Take today's situation as an example. The tutor encourages us to help point out each other's mistakes and everything so that everyone can improve. Obviously, I had my own fair bit to share to help other groups, maybe its the way I put it, but the group responded with very inflammatory remarks and actions.

Actions such as pissed-off looks and the like, remarks such as: "You already bring laptop every project work lesson, you are supposed to be prepared what" which I responded back casually with: "Bringing laptop not equated to being ready" as I did not want to enter a fight or quarrel with somebody from another class...

I know that pointing out mistakes is a rather painful task. Lets face it, who wants to have their mistakes pointed out by others? Even I do not want that to happen to me. Is this because we are an Asian society, therefore, "face" means a lot to us, so much so that we cannot even accept any remarks on ways to improve ourselves when that was the original actual aim?

Even my group members were telling me to not tell others about their mistakes. Personally, I feel that this is a very selfish thing to do. As a Project work class, we are trying to work together towards the common goal of an A grade (if you aren't, at least consider the feelings of perhaps your other group members). If we are to work together towards that A grade, part of this working together can be acheived when we point out each other's mistakes so that we do not commit them when the real time comes.

Without all these comments, how would you know where you have gone wrong? This was part of the motive of having the presentation, so that we can help each other out by pointing out each other's mistakes and correcting each other. "Face" isn't that important here, and lets face it, how much more "face" would you throw if you flopped in front of the examiner compared to flopping inside the classroom which isn't even considered in the final score?

I know it might be I am being over-sensitive over what had happened in class today, but I could seriously feel a small amount of anger directed towards the group. I am not usually sensitive to what other people say or do, but today, I don't know why, but I felt a sense of being attacked and provoked by the member of the group who uttered the remark... I just hope that it isn't because I am returning to my other life, which sees things beyond the normal picture... (and I don't want to go back, being the naive person is better)

Being an extrovert, I tend to open my mouth more often. This, of course, tends to bring back lots of negative things, but I feel that being extrovert in this case allows me to help other groups, which in due course, the other groups would help us too when they give us feedback on our things.

If the class was to be totally silent after each and every presentation in order for the group to not lose face, what's the point of having the presentation in the first place??

Suggestions from other people might be hard to accept, especially when they are criticising your own actions or something like that, but, if no one points it out to you, when will you know that that is a fault?
When it is too late, perhaps?

Discmon
P.S. Please do criticise on this post as without the comments, this thing would be damn one-sided. It would be nice to hear what the other project work groups feel and think about this subject so that I know if I am being over-sensitive here... Thanks