In the cosmology of supervision the approach expounded here approximates more to the continuous creation than the big bang paradigm. But it is almost certain that the adherents to the latter considerably outnumber those of the former. A typical exposition of the dominant paradigm is presented by Diamonti (1977) writing about a ‘reappraisal of student teaching’. He sees it as ‘the culmination of a student’s training, it is an opportunity to put theory into practice and to develop and demonstrate the qualities thought necessary to become a teacher’ (my italics). Yet here we are two-thirds of the way through the book and only just getting to the nub of the matter.