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This stuff is pretty amazing

Pairing and Feedback at Dev Boot Camp

Pairing

The requirement of pairing at DBC has definitely opened my eyes to the power of working as a team. I find that overall I benefit from the stimulation of thought my partner provides. My first thoughts on solving a problem can be sculpted and influenced by the thoughts of my pair. Overall this helps me solve problems more quickly and many times more efficiently. There have many times where I would go down a totally unnecessary route to solve the problem and my pair sees this immediately.

Sometimes the frustration in pairing comes from a pair not being on the same page or prioritizing some interpretation of the problem statement. This can lead to a pair splitting in two different directions. I've seen this happen when we were both unsure of what the problem is asking and therefore are uncertain of what to implement. If there is no decision made on what direction to proceed and there is still disagreement, then both pairs will not be confident in each others' approach to solving and the problem and want to focus on their own methods.

I love the partnership and team work involved with pair programming. If my pair has benefited from my knowledge I am extremely happy I could help them. I have definitely benefited from the knowledge my pair has had about solving the problem. Particularly rewarding times came when I was able to teach my pair how to solve problems when there were times of frustration. I enjoyed breaking down the problem together and helping my pair realize that the problem was not so confusing or complicated as it seems.

Feedback

Many times when I read feedback I find myself looking at my faults and feeling bad about myself. I realize that this is not the purpose of feedback. I should take the feedback and analyze whether it is valid and actionable and then take steps to improve myself.

The feedback I have received is to pseudocode more. I think this action can only help me. I have also received feedback to stretch myself even when the problem seems to easy. Striving to learn more when not challenged really stuck with me, although I'm having a hard time taking initiative and going beyond the problem statements.

Writing feedback has been a great experience. I feel that the feedback should really help my peer and not be too harsh. Harsh feelings probably tend to make the peer dismiss the feedback as being insulting.

I really believe pairing and feedback to change yourself ties into Growth Mindset and learning from others really well. I love the team spirit and the process feeds into itself. As I try to improve myself, I learn more from others, receive feedback, and then I can teach others better.