Do many/most instructors do PPL instrument appreciation in real IMC, or do lots of people do it all on the foggles?. I assume and hope that it's the former. As others have pointed out here and elsewhere, there's a real benefit in that it convinces you (if you neeeded any convincing) that wandering into cloud as a basic PPL is a definite no-no.
A collateral benefit may be getting a taster of VFR on top, which scores highly on the surly-bonds-of-earth-slippage index and acts as an inspiration for getting an IMC or IR (I know that this is neither the only nor the best reason for getting such ratings, but it helps). I remember my instructor allowing me to sweat through real-life clouds and rewarding my shaky efforts with aerobatics in the sunshine above the cloud deck: one of the most enjoyable lessons I had.