Is it better to have brains- or pals? Be popular, or be a smarty pants??
Despite the title, this is not a blog about the pros and cons of trying to 'fit in'. I have noticed that in my 'ELT World' I have only been reviewing restaurants recently, so I thought it was time to as Eminem sang "get down to business"
Toward the end of my MA studies, I started my first teaching roles, completing 2(TWO) summer schools. One in Kent and one in Oxford, and I 'definitely' didn't complete these schools whilst also writing my dissertation. shhhh, don't telly Tilly. Anyways- the point is, and there is a point, eventually, towards the end of my ramblings, that during these summer schools I used both ESL Brains and ESL Pals and thought it would be worth taking a closer look at these helpful websites.
Now, the first thing to note is that both offer a 'premium subscription service' to access the full library of lesson plans:
ESL Pals offers three different options:
Full Access for $49.99 for 6 months
Full Access (lifetime pal) for £79.99 for 12 months or
Teacher Collab $199 for 6 months- but with multiple log-ins
For ESL Brains- you will need to cough up a 'monthly figure' but again with different options available:
Premium £5 a month- unlocks around half the websites content
Unlimited £10 a month- unlocks all the website and its lessons
Institution £50 a month- similar to Teacher collab on Pals- this one is designed with the idea of multiple teachers 'chipping' in and receiving 'multiple log-ins'
The links to both pricing pages are here if you want to sign up:
https://eslbrains.com/pricing/
But which should you get? Which gets more bang for your buck, as it were.
Clearly pricewise- Brains is more expensive, but is that justified- let's take a closer look at the two and compare.
Starting with drum roll please- ESL PALS
Organisation and Layout
when you first log in to pals, you will arrive at your dashboard
Clickable links on the left-hand bar neatly open up different options, such as General English, Business English, and Grammar lessons. The layout is very pleasing to the eye and certainly user-friendly, with the newest added lessons displayed in the middle of the page for you to look at.
It's a very strong layout, neatly organised, and cruising to an easy 5 Nik-Knacks.
Content and Features
The content in pals is also a strong point, with a vast quantity of ready-made lesson plans to choose from, All lessons have a downloadable and printable teachers sheet and student worksheets and some even provide a YouTube video to go along with the lessons (The lesson based on the Starbucks business model being a personal favourite). With Lessons ranging from A1 level up to C1, it would be unlikely you would not find a lesson you could use. Another feature of pals is the curriculums which are already designed to ensure natural progression.
But (you knew it was coming) the biggest criticism I can make of ESL Pals is the lack of being able to launch the lesson plan as a pre-made PowerPoint, having to print off 20+ student worksheets- some of them 7+ pages long is extremely time-consuming (not to mention a waste of paper)
it's for this reason that the content and features of Pals get 3.5 Nik-Knacks
Summary
I really like ESL pals, it's quirky- the lessons are fun and worthwhile. If you follow the advised curriculums you won't go far wrong in your teaching. I just can't get away from the amount of printing required, however- which is why I award ESL PALS- 4 Nik-Knacks:
Does ESL Brains fare any better? Let's find out
Organisation and Layout
We already know ESL Brains is more expensive than ESL Pals but is it worth the extra cost?
You wouldn't think it from the initial home screen, which is nowhere near as neat and tidy as ESL Pals. However, once you click on lessons plans, you get a drop-down menu to select from either level (A2 - C2) or category- Business, technology, etc from there it's a breeze to select whatever lessons you might desire. Initial layout- not the best, organisation after that first screen- top class.
4 Nik-Knacks
Content and Features
Much like Pals, Brains has a wealth of ready-made lessons available, ranging from global issues to lifestyle lessons. However, one of the best features of Brains is the ability to search by time- want a 30-minute lesson? no problem. 90 minutes you say? step right up. But that's not the only thing in terms of features, and you probably saw this coming from the ESL Pals review- ESL brains offers the option of an E-Lesson plan. Log in, fire it up on the projector, and away you go- having used this myself many times during summer school- it was a dream to not have to spend a considerable amount of time printing papers before each class
5 Nik-Knacks
Summary
Whilst ESL Pals may be cheaper, the key question is, is it worth paying the extra for ESL Brains. The answer is a resounding yes. Both are very good, both are helpful and deserve a place in the world of ELT, but ESL Brains just does it better. I should note here- that ESL Brains was the go-to for many of the teachers I taught alongside- a testament to its quality.
Overall I award ESL Brains a mighty fine- 5 Nik-Knacks
So don't be a dummy- try ESL Brains today!
It's also my sad duty to report that both Edmondo and QuestGarden, two ICT tools that I previously blogged about, have now gone the way of the Tamagotchi, the 3310, and various other formerly beloved inventions that have ceased to be. Yes sadly, both of these websites are no more. A sad day certainly.
Phew- that felt good to get back to ELT. now back to restaurants. Probably. We'll see.
BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
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