In my opinion it's a great idea.
I was taught that way and it certainly didn't do any harm.
In a light aircraft I think you should be looking outside with the odd flick of the eyes inside, not the other way around. That's just my opinion though. I have flown with ag pilots who don't even have an operative ASI. I'm not suggesting that is a good idea or a responsible thing to do but it shows that the aircraft will actually fly fine without the gauges.