To tell a student to use flaps downwind in a Warrior - Cessna - or similar light trainer -simply because the big airliners do, is as stupid and illogical as one school I know that teaches two mile wide circuits so as it's airline cadets get used to the perspective of the runway as seen on downwind in a Boeing 747!
Worse still are those schools that teach students to check undercarriage down and locked as part of the before landing check - even though their aircraft all have fixed gear. Strange thing is that the manufacturer's POH for fixed gear types makes no mention of gear down and locked.
Flying light singles and twins used to be so straightforward and easy when I learned to fly many years ago and one wonders why it is all so complicated now. We flew without needing a checklist to tell us what to do next. Can you imagine a Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot in a scramble and carefully reading a long checklist before starting his engine. Not ever!