Pair programming is a great way to learn programming! Read why.
Communicate well with your partner. Voice chat will make communication easy, let you focus on learning, and will allow you to use your time effectively.
Before you start coding: decide together with your partner how your workflow should look so that both you and your partner can benefit from the time spent coding. An example of a good workflow:
- Read through and discuss the problem to make sure you understand it.
- Solve the problem with pseudo-code by identifying the steps you need to take in order to get from the given inputs to the expected result.
- Create your actual solution
When explaining things: Ask questions to guide your partner's thoughts instead of just showing the answer right away. This will let him or her think about the problem and make it easier for them to learn.
Finally, be open to your partner's ideas, respect each other and have fun! :)