Perspectives on learning techniques

I read a New York Times article today that calls into question some of the generally accepted assumptions about learning: Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits

The article cites a paper by Kelli Taylor and Doug Rohrer of the University of South Florida, The Effects of Interleaved Practice which compares interleaving and blocking as learning techniques.  Their results seem to show that interspersing a study topic with other material leads to a stronger commitment of the information than gross cramming does.

The analogy that comes to my mind regarding cramming is the charging of a NiCd battery.  When a rapid charger is used, the battery quickly charges to full capacity, but that charge is also more quickly depleted.  Compare this to a slower trickle charger that takes longer to charge the battery, but provides a longer lasting charge.