A while ago i decided to take my fixed wing experience and have a dabble with helicopters. After a reasonably thorough ground brief about hair dryers etc, we went and strapped into a R22. No checklist, no real instruction, just a 'see if you can get it started'.
With a small amount of guidance it was a relatively easy task to get things going.
If we actually look at the checklists we provide to PPL students, in essence, we are telling them to check everything that moves or indicates something. Consequently, I am warming to the scan/flow technique for basic aircraft as long as the student understands what he is doing.