The most immediate and satisfying thing I've noticed about peer pairing so far is that it makes the time go faster. Attempting a challenge on my own can sometimes be a grueling exercise in patience. Though the paring sessions are usually scheduled to be an hour or so, I've found that 3, sometimes 4 hours slip by easily and unnoticed. Pairing helps me engage with the material. I find that when I am working alone and hit a particularly challenging section, I will just tune out. Pairing keeps me present and accountable.
Pairing also has the benefit of sharing in the sense of victory and accomplishment when a challenge has been completed. When the tests come back as true, and the code has been refactored into something that makes coherent sense, there's a feeling of accomplishment and relief that is amplified because it is shared. Feelings of frustration and confusion are also shared, but I've found that when I'm pairing these feelings are far from negative.
One thing that I've learned is that it's ok to take a breath, to take a break, and to admit when you're stumped. I learn so much faster when I am able to put my self-consciousness aside (NOT EASY), and admit that I am lost. Instead of an admission of defeat, this sort of confession serves to refocus the conversation and bring up gaps in understanding that are more likely to be resolved by joint researching, or by a pair simply rephrasing a definition with their own explanation.
Based on the feedback I've received, the biggest challenge I have ahead of me is finding the right balance between being forthcoming with questions, taking the lead, and knowing when to step back and not get in the way of someone else's learning. I have to be more careful about maintaining a clear definition of the driver/navigator roles, and communicate when I have suggestions instead of jumping onto the middle of a pair's train of thought. For me, the most difficult part of writing feedback has been coming up with any actionable suggestions. So far my experience with pairing has been very positive, and my suggestions have always been along the lines of "just keep doing all the cool stuff you're doing", which admittedly is not very helpful or particularly specific. Reading and rating other feedback has been helpful because I can see "actionable" feedback demonstrated, and it has been instrumental in the way I've started to think about my own feedback.