Pair programming =
Two people +
One problem
(and usually, one computer, one keyboard, one screen...
...notwithstanding remote pairing tools and face-to-face pairing desks)
One driver, one navigator
Listen to how engaged the navigator is. They are focused on what's coming next, but they are not idly speculating. E.g. circa 4min in
Two heads are better than one!
[show graph of maxima]
Every person thinks a little differently, has different expertise / experience / energy / perspective.
So for any given problem, at any given moment, one of the partners will be more able to solve that problem.
With pair programming, you get the best of two at every moment.
(And often you get solutions that are better than any individual would have come up with alone.)
MYTH: pairing reduces productivity by 50%
FACT: pairing (when done well) increases productivity, especially when the problem requires creativity to solve
(pairing also increases communication, satisfaction, and the rate of high-fives per minute)
Docendo discimus - "by teaching we learn"
Switch roles often!
It's better to have them and not need them, than to need them and not have them.
https://www.wikihow.com/Pair-Program
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a7b9/eaf874127108f131cb05f8f513c10b5f00d1.pdf
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