I'm currently working on Long Long Ago in Book 1 of Suzuki.  The tutorial I'm following on youtube has the students using full bows for half notes and half bows for quarter notes and so on.

I worked on my bowing (in the other thread) and got that under control and my playing is better for it.  But (here comes the I'm a bad boy part)...

The Suzuki CD for Book 1 is on youtube.  Listening to it, it's a lot different than what I'm being taught through the tutorial.  On the CD, the music is played as it's scored with half bows for half notes, etc.

I'm positive that using the tutorial's long bow strokes is a lot easier for beginning students.  I know this because I decided to try to play the music as the CD plays it.  It took several tries, but I got to where I can play the music like it's scored, including the expression (for the most part) that's in the music on the CD.  Going back to bowing like the tutorial wants the students to do is absolutely simple now.  Where I was having problems before, now I'm doing better than I used to and I'm more consistent in those areas (I still suck at them though.  Too many missed fingerings and accidental string crossings and slurs.  Plus the entire raft of squeaks, whistles, and my wolf howling instead of any intonation.).  However, I can now put a lot of expression into the piece even with the long bow strokes and slow tempo.  Before it was just mechanical bowing of each note one after another from start to finish; 1and, 2and, 3and...  Much prettier to play it this way with the little pauses and tiny emphasis where needed.

I'm not sure if the instructor I'm following for the tutorial would approve, but that's ok, I'm being a rebel and doing it anyway.  Go me!