I discovered that most of my senior pairs were reluctant to allow me to experiment with solutions. At the slightest sign of uncertainty, they were very eager to take over the keyboard and demonstrate the solution by coding it themselves. Although instinctive and seemingly efficient, this tactic undermines the purpose of knowledge-sharing in pairing across skill.

That is a good observation, and a situation I’m fairly sure I’ve been both a victim—and guilty—of. It could help explain why I’ve often struggled to find pairing rewarding or productive, despite believing it to be good practice.