I was reading an interesting article in the NY Times in the continuing series of Freakonomics. This article was discussing how over 50% of successful soccer players (footballers) were born in the first three months in the year. In it they discussed some research about the effectiveness of "Deliberate Practice". I wasn't aware of it but delibrate practice involves more complex actions than just repeating according to the article it "entails setting specific goals, obtaining immediate feedback, and concentrating as much on technique as on outcome". Perl fits very well into the technique since it provides pretty instant feedback and often Perl coding involves focusing on technique along with results. I'm sure there are other ways as well.
It also strikes me as yet another good reason to code test cases. Quick feedback to help cement learning.
The article is well worth a read over on the Times site.