Overall, pair coding sessions have been a great help to my knowledge of the curriculum and my knowledge of how I work/learn. I was incredibly nervous before my first pairing session but I ended up with a wonderful partner and a fantastic guide that helped ease me into the pairing concept. I've always been more comfortable working alone but I have learned quite a bit about myself through pairing and it really helps in giving you an understanding of where you are at in the curriculum. Solving challenges together is a challenge in and of itself. I have picked up several tricks through my pairs and discovered new ways to approach difficult problems. The one thing that I still have trouble with is remaining patient while my pair tries something that I disagree with. We are all at different levels this early on in the program and it is tough for me to find that balance between assertiveness and kindness when pointing out a flaw in a pair's logic.
The Feedbackinator really takes pairing to the next level. I was anxious to receive my first bits of feedback but was pleased with what I read. It gave me a boost of confidence and has led to more comfortability when approaching the pairing sessions. I learned more about my cultural competencies rather than my curriculum competency but at this point I think the former is more helpful. By accepting the feedback, I can work on bettering myself as a pair to produce more fruitful sessions in the future.
Composing feedback is an entirely different beast. So far, I have found the most difficulty with coming up with actionable items for my pair. In general, everyone has been incredibly kind and knowledgable so I haven't had much to work with. Also, forcing it tends to end up being even less helpful. Even so, by sticking to the 3 rules of feedback (Be specific, kind and actionable), I usually end up with something that I hope my pair can appreciate and learn from.