Just heard some comments by Salman Khan of the Khan Academy (wikipedia) - over two thousand free educational videos on almost any conceivable topic, and a growing library of self-paced exercises.
One finding of their class profiles is that people who start as "slow" learners may end up a the top of the class if they're allowed to learn at their own pace, but required to master their materials before moving on.
God bless him, it's the future of learning.
-Anthony