I was teaching a new photographer recently who really did want to escape the point and shoot mentality and take creative control. I made his switch his camera to manual and use the built in spot meter to find mid-tones and judge exposure.

He said he hated me for the first couple of weeks for the headaches it gave him and the shots he screwed up. He added that two months later he was really glad I'd made him start like this as he now understood what he was doing and though he had a lot to learn he felt that when he went wrong he knew why.

So yeah I tend to agree starting on manual and slowing down will help people develop. Conversely I do think the instant feedback from a digital camera is a great learning aid and can help people progress in leaps and bounds. So it should be embraced (with caution!)