Cowl flaps, schmowl flaps....open or close them to keep the temperature according to the book.
Well... Open or close the cowl flaps in anticipation of a speed or power change, based upon your understanding of their affect, to
prevent rapid temperature changes of the cylinders. If you are flying a 182 wheelplane, and you're approaching exceeding a CHT limitation, I cannot imagine what you're doing with it! If you are watching the CHT indicator to determine what position to select the cowl flaps, you're taking too long. The CHT will tell you if what you did a minute or more ago with the cowl flaps has had the affect you intend. If you can actually
see the pointer of the analog CHT indicator move, you did not anticipate cowl flaps well, and may have already damaged the engine.
Both cowl flaps, and constant speed propellers are straight forward to understand, and yes, can be learned and mastered without hours of flying time being required, but there function and affect should be taken seriously. In my opinion (and I have trained it many times), student study for an hour or so, and good understanding confirmed during a 15-30 minute preflight briefing, should result in a maximum of an hour of practical flying to cement those skills.