I certainly wouldn't start with sunny 16. You can work for decades--in fact, your entire life as a photographer--without using that rule. I probably use it twice a year, if that, and I have been taking photographs for 50 years.
Some people might start with the camera in an automatic mode, get the student a little experience taking pictures, and then gradually start introducing the basic settings.
I've only taught reasonably advanced photographers, but off the top of my head, I think I would have one session in auto, then switch to manual with the correct settings. Then have them experiment first with changing shutter speeds. That one is pretty obvious. Then fix shutter speed and have them vary aperture. That one is also simple by itself. The third step would be to change the combination of shutter and aperture to maintain the same exposure so that they can begin to get a feeling for depth of field, which is more complex and less obvious when comparing images.
I would definitely not start with film. IMHO, there is absolutely no pedagogical benefit to doing so and a several huge disadvantages. Most important, digital allows costless experimentation and immediate feedback, both of which are hugely helpful in teaching. Film offers no immediate feedback. You have to wait until much later to see the impact of setting changes.
Photography schools were not a thing where I schooled.
