Valid points Hughes 500 and the patter I used to teach to baby QHIs (and what I was taught back in the day) included those bits of info/technique because they were aimed at basic students.
The lack of mandatory post-graduate training requirements for PPLs scares me and goes a long way to explain a number of accidents.
The main reason for using a flatter approach is to keep the RoD lower than on an into wind approach.