The short answer is YES. However, it is built upon six basic principles which all need to be adhered to.
Principle 1:
The schools participating in the Cultura Project need to be similar. A High School should work with another High School; College students need to work with students who are at approximately the same level of studies. We are very aware that systems differ from one country to another. But it is important that students work with partners who have roughly the same age and similar life experiences
Principle 2:
Reciprocity is essential, to ensure that the two groups of students look at the same documents, participate in the different forums according to the pre-established calendar, and are equally committed to the exchange.
Principle 3:
The conversations on the forums are asynchronous. This allows time for reflection and analysis of what the other students say. There can be chat rooms on the side, but asynchronicity carries its own intrinsic benefits.
Principle 4:
The language used on the forums and on the Web in general has to be the native language of the students (or to be more specific, the language spoken in the country where students live).
However, the target language is used at all other times.
For more information on the use of language, see Rationale
Principle 5:
Cultura needs to be completely integrated into the classroom, the work does not happen on the Web only. The role of the teacher is therefore crucial.
Principle 6:
The work needs to take place over a sufficient amount of time. We suggest a minimum of 6 weeks altogether.