Coding & game development tutoring

Building confidence, grades & executive functioning through coding and game design.

One-on-one tutoring that teaches programming and math from the ground up with Lua and Turtle Graphics — for kids as young as preschool, and useful all the way through college.

Book a free intro call See the approach

Online over Zoom Free introductory call All ages & dispositions

-- draw a spiral
for i = 1, 32 do
  forward(i * 4)
  right(90)
end

-- a tiny space shooter
while alive do
  if key("space") then shoot() end
  move(invader, dx)
end

-- prove a² + b² = c²
forward(90)   -- leg a
right(90); forward(120) -- leg b
back_to_start()  -- hyp c = 150

Who I am

My name is Luke Conley.

I've been a one-on-one for children with autism, a professional software engineer, and an NYC high school computer science teacher.

I built luaturtle.com to bridge the gap between the emotional and intellectual sides of STEM learning.

I bring a positive, grounding perspective to learning coding and math. For me, this is just one more step in a lifetime of working alongside kids in pursuit of creative learning and growth.

If this might benefit a student you know, read more about my approach or book a free intro call.

What families say:

My 8 year old nephew is extremely shy and it takes a lot of patience to bring him out of his shell, so finding the right activity for him has been hard.

I wanted to give him something that tapped into his interests (he loves Roblox) so I figured coding might be a good bridge to him engaging with what he already likes more creatively.

Luke met him exactly where he was, moved at his pace, and made the lessons fun enough that he forgot to be nervous and is loving building things with code.

I've even learned a ton just watching them and am loving how accessible and fun it was and how nice it’s been to connect with him about the things he’s building.

I’ve also seen him grow in his willingness to try new things and work through challenges. Can’t recommend turtle tutoring enough!

From the family of Algie, an 8-year-old student

The approach

Two proven tools, one intuitive path into code and math.

About Turtle Graphics

Turtle Graphics allows users to make interactive art with math and code. It was codeveloped by MIT professors, children, and their schoolteachers in the 1960s and ’70s.

Users control the movement of a little avatar (nicknamed a “Turtle”) that moves through space a bit like a person does, using only four commands: move forward, move back, turn left, and turn right.

This simple design constraint lets people reason about math and engineering problems using the same everyday thinking we use to walk to a friend’s house.

This familiarity makes it straightforward to break “hard” problems down into small, recognizable parts. The results on student progress can be remarkable.

(It’s also a lot of fun.)

About the Lua Language

Over the years, multiple versions of Turtle Graphics have been built, using different programming languages.

I built luaturtle.com, which uses the Lua language, because of its widespread use in game development. World of Warcraft, Roblox, Crysis, and Balatro all use Lua in one way or another.

Lua is very simple, and an excellent language for beginners.

Because of the strong similarities between Turtle Art and videogames in general, this makes Lua Turtle Graphics an ideal fit for any student with a preexisting interest in gaming or game development.

Coding, from the ground up

Concrete, step-by-step thinking that turns abstract math into something students can see, move, and control.

Game development

The same language behind real, beloved games — so the skills students build lead somewhere they already care about.

Confidence & executive function

Small, visible wins build focus, planning, and the belief that “I can figure this out.”

These methods are especially useful for students who are sensitive, have a diagnosed learning difficulty, or have been told they “don’t have a brain for math.”

Questions

The practical details, answered.

How long is a typical session, and how often?

Weekly is good, but more or less often is feasible, depending on the student.

Turtle work tends to "stick" in a way that makes "grinding" less necessary than we're used to.

What makes this different from other math tutoring?

Turtle coding is all about making mathematical ideas feel familiar.

This means "lightbulb moments" become more frequent and repetable.

Anxiety goes down as the student recognizes their growing competence.

What is the cancellation policy?

I don't enforce a fee for cancellations. Just keep me in the loop as you can.

What does my kid need — computer, browser, headphones?

A computer with an internet connection, and the video conference software of your choice.

Rates & logistics

Simple, transparent pricing.

Online tutoring

$150 / hour

One-on-one sessions over video conference, wherever you are.

Book a free introductory call

We’ll figure out together whether this is a good fit. No pressure, no cost.

Book a Free Introductory Call

Or email me directly at luke@conleytutoring.com