Learning the English language doesn't have to be a chore or even a task -- when lessons are taught like games, language turns to fun. Though some word games such as crossword puzzles may be too difficult for new speakers, word searches and picture match games are ideal. The Vocabulary Building website (see Resources) offers a slew of free game ideas, including analogies, antonyms, synonyms, contractions, word play and spelling games. Keep score and see which student races to the head of the class.
Partnering non-native and native English speakers together may make for a wonderful friendship, or at least some educational conversation. Step outside the classroom and pick up the language from a pen pal, corresponding through postal mail or online (sometimes called an e-pal or key-pal). The person learning English will pick up slang, conversational tones and regional language, along with having an actual person for long-term communication. Sometimes teachers can pair up classrooms with another classroom overseas. Website such as My Language Exchange (see Resources) also offer a way to get pen pals; the site claims over 1 million members speaking 115 languages.
When teaching -- or learning -- the English language, keep the "memory rule of seven" in mind. The rule is that the human brain works best at grouping things in seven to remember (although some people work best with five or nine). Work this into English language learning lessons, such as seven names of fruit, seven state capitals or seven words for emotion at a time. Restricting new lessons to a small number may take some of the pressure off students and make learning easier.
In many cases, the vision of learning English brings to mind a classroom full of students echoing a teacher at the front of the room. Classroom learning -- and instructors -- aren't even necessary when tapping into the wealth of free audiovisual resources online. On websites such as Chaffey College's English as a Second Language page (see Resources), lists of sites offering pronunciation, translation and sentence formation are available to anyone with an Internet connection and speakers. Non-English speakers may even be able to stream or download pronunciation by someone speaking their home language, which may be the ideal way to immerse in English.