I just got my student teacher (ST) placed with me and we have very different teaching styles. How do I handle?

Hello, I’m a 4th grade English teacher and I have been given a student teacher (ST) this semester. The ST is from a local university and works under the guidance of a university supervisor. Both the university supervisor and I have years of experience teaching, but we have very different teaching styles. For example, I follow the curriculum which the school standardizes for all classes. The university supervisor doesn’t have a curriculum and prefers a “self-led” approach, where students are encouraged to explore topics and projects of interest to them.<br><br>I have taught for years using my method and have achieved great results. My students have high test scores and great participation. The university supervisor has also achieved great results, although in terms of student engagement and motivation, not through test scores. I want to make sure my students continue to excel in this subject, but I also want to honor the university supervisor’s approach and give my ST the best experience possible. Due to this, I’m unsure how to combine the two teaching styles without confusing the students or hindering their education and testing. I’m also not sure how to approach this conversation. Should I reach out to the university supervisor to collaborate, or should I try to handle the situation on my own? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.