教育研究者Andy Matuschak通过分析学习科学研究指出，传统书籍和讲座等媒介学习效率低下的根本原因在于它们基于错误的学习模型[1]。传递主义观点认为讲者说出观点用词，学生听到词语就能理解，这种"空白石板论"忽视了学习的真实过程[1]。
相比之下，建构主义理论提出人类学习是一个主动的构建过程，学习者需要基于既有知识基础构建新知识[1]。真正有效的学习需要学习者进行自我解释、通过练习测试来检验理解、采用分布式学习与交错练习、精心设计问题以及强调回忆而非单纯识别等积极的认知活动[1]。医学生Michael Young的案例充分说明了这一点，他通过从被动阅读转变为自我检验和检索练习，成绩从班级底部上升到高分行列[1]。
针对这一认识，有研究者建议采用SuperMemo的增量阅读工具，该工具结合了间隔重复算法，在阅读过程中整合测试，从而提高学习效率[1]。
Traditional educational media like books and lectures operate on a flawed assumption about how learning occurs.[1] According to transmissionist theory, knowledge transfer happens when a speaker articulates ideas and students passively receive them—a model often described as the "blank slate" approach.[1] However, research into learning science reveals a fundamentally different reality: human learning is constructed rather than transmitted.[1] Students actually build new knowledge by actively engaging with material based on their existing understanding, rather than simply absorbing information presented to them.
This distinction between transmissionism and constructivism has profound implications for educational effectiveness.[1] Genuine learning requires learners to engage in self-explanation, practice testing, distributed learning with interleaved practice, deliberate questioning, and retrieval-based recall rather than mere recognition.[1] The medical student Michael Young exemplified this principle when he transformed his academic performance by shifting from passive reading to active self-testing and retrieval practice, rising from the bottom of his class to achieving top grades.[1] To support this constructivist approach, tools like SuperMemo's Incremental Reading combine spaced repetition algorithms with integrated reading and testing processes, enabling learners to actively engage with material in ways traditional books cannot facilitate.[1]