INSTRUCTOR PLT CLBED ABOVE ASSIGNED ALT DURING AN IFR APCH DUE TO A SEVERE UPDRAFT CAUSED BY A TSTM.

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I WAS THE INST INSTRUCTOR ON THE LAST LEG OF AN IFR XCOUNTRY FLT. WX CONDITIONS AT THE TIME WERE VMC WITH A TSTM BUILDING TO THE W OF MY DEST ARPT. MY STUDENT AND I HAD REQUESTED THE FULL NDB APCH TO RWY 11R. AS WE WERE FLYING W; OUTBOUND ON THE APCH COURSE; I NOTICED THAT THE TSTM WAS MOVING EASTWARD IN OUR DIRECTION. AT THIS TIME MY STUDENT HAD INITIATED HIS PROC TURN IN THE WRONG DIRECTION SO WE ASKED TO BE REVECTORED AROUND FOR ANOTHER APCH. AT THIS TIME WE WERE GETTING TOO CLOSE TO TSTM; SO I REQUESTED A VECTOR TO REJOIN OUR FINAL APCH COURSE. HE GAVE US A VECTOR OF 270 DEGS TO EXTEND OUR DOWNWIND LEG WHICH WAS BRINGING US CLOSER TO THE TSTM. I THEN REQUESTED A VECTOR TO THE N TO REINTERCEPT FINAL AND HE GAVE ME A R TURN TO 070 DEGS. AS WE INITIATED OUR R TURN; WE FLEW INTO THE OUTER EDGE OF THE TSTM. IMMEDIATELY UPON ENTERING THE TSTM AT 3000 FT; I NOTICED WE WERE CAUGHT IN AN UPDRAFT. I TOOK THE CTLS; REDUCED PWR; AND SHOVED THE NOSE DOWN. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED ZMA AND TOLD HIM WE WERE CAUGHT IN AN UPDRAFT. AND WERE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT. HE IMMEDIATELY VECTORED TFC AWAY FROM MY POS. (ACFT HOLDING 7 NM AWAY OVER THE NDB.) I CONTINUED MY R TURN TO 070 DEGS AND TRIED; WITH LITTLE SUCCESS; TO DSND. THE UPDRAFT HAD CAUSED AN ALT GAIN OF 1000 FT. WHEN I FLEW OUT OF THE TSTM; I ADVISED CTR I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT. AT THIS TIME I CANCELED IFR AND FLEW BACK VFR. HAD I'D BEEN MORE PERSISTENT WITH CTR IN REQUESTING VECTORS TO AVOID THE CELL; FLT INTO THE CELL MAY HAVE BEEN AVOIDED.