Originally Posted by: judahpraiseWhat I am most wondering is what is the optimal way to learn scales ...

First and foremost, learn & apply the scale formulas as visual patterns & auditory entities. This means to learn to hear, see and feel the scale degrees as 3 different perceptual forms of the same thing. Learn them in this order.

1. major scale
2. minor scale
3. pentatonic major scale
4. pentatonic minor scale

Always, always, always keep aural training in mind when practicing scales.

I covered this topic in depth here:

http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28128

Hope this helps!