I'm a PPL, not an FI, but do a fair bit of instructing in gliders. I think spinning should be part of the PPL, but it should be in addition to at least 4 hours SSAT (or is it only 2 under JAR?) which is the key bit. It's all insurance.
"Awareness" or "avoidance" is the fundamental lesson on the basis that prevention is better than cure, but when things go wrong in high workload situations, you're NOT aware, so you don't avoid, so you need to have the recovery bit too, spins included (always assuming you eventually become aware enough to recover!).
Normally aircraft, powered or otherwise, don't stall or spin - but they do when the pilot "annoys" the a/c in high workload situations. All aircraft will spin given the right set of circumstances.
In the gliding world (at least in the UK), a LOT of emphasis is put on spin recovery training. Stalling is pretty thorough too, more I reckon than the PPL.
My main axe to grind though, and this applies to glider and "powered" pilots, are those who get through their training and then never go near the stall (and spin, if they're a glider pilot) again.
I know pilots who are almost proud of the fact. Don't know what it is - fear? If you're afraid of practicing stalls / spins (not afraid of them per se - that's healthy)- should you be flying?
[This message has been edited by Jasper (edited 21 August 2000).]