OTAU / CHD / 01
Scratch with a tutor
Games built step by step.
Open the syllabusAustralia · Ages 6 to 67 · Live online tuition
Hiring a coding tutor is different from enrolling in a course. A tutor works with your learner's own code, notices the misunderstandings a course would roll past, and adjusts every week. For a child, a tutor is also an adult you are inviting into your home, even when the visit is through a screen, so the checks matter as much as the teaching. This page sets out what a good online coding tutor should do, the checks New South Wales asks parents to make of private tutors, how our teachers in India differ from a local tutor, and the three-step method we use to move learners from running code to writing their own.
Live teaching since 2020 · 10,000+ students · one regular teacher, live, every week
In short
An online coding tutor teaches a learner live over video, working on that learner's own code and adjusting each week. Before booking any private tutor for a child, check their safety credentials; in New South Wales, parents must verify a self-employed tutor's Working with Children Check. Modern Age Coders teaches from India, so instead we keep every lesson live, teacher-led and open to parents.
Where tuition usually starts
Each can be taken in a small group or one to one. The free first lesson suggests which.

OTAU / 01
Ages 6 to 12. Scratch games built with a patient teacher beside them.
Open the syllabus →
OTAU / 02
Ages 13 to 18. From first programs to projects, with feedback on every one.
Open the syllabus →
OTAU / 03
Adults. React and Node.js, built around projects you choose.
Open the syllabus →What tutors do
A tutor earns their fee in the moments a course cannot reach: the specific mistake, the specific question, the specific next step for this learner.
| Moment | A pre-recorded course | A live tutor |
|---|---|---|
| A bug the learner cannot find | The video carries on | The tutor asks the question that leads to it |
| A concept half understood | The next lesson assumes it | The tutor spots it and goes back |
| A learner racing ahead | Waits for the next unit | Gets a harder challenge today |
| A project idea of their own | No room for it | Becomes the next few weeks of work |
| A drop in motivation | Often unnoticed | Noticed and talked about |
In practice, a good weekly session has three parts: a look back at what the learner built or tried since last time, new work at the edge of their ability, and a clear task to try before next week. If a tutor mostly talks while the learner watches, something is wrong. Our page on one-to-one coding tuition covers when individual lessons suit better than a small group.
Checks
Every state runs its own scheme for people who work with children. New South Wales publishes clear guidance for parents hiring independent tutors, and it is a sensible standard for any family.
| Topic | In the OCG's words |
|---|---|
| Who needs a check | "The Working With Children Check (WWCC) is a requirement for anyone who works or volunteers in child-related work in NSW" |
| What parents should do | Parents "need to verify the Working with Children (WWC) or Application (APP) number of a self-employed or independent worker before they start" |
| Who that includes | Examples given: "au pairs and nannies", tutors, paid sport coaches, music teachers outside school and party entertainers |
| Which results are acceptable | "You can only hire someone with a 'Cleared' or 'Application in progress' status" |
| Tutors working alone | Sole traders "may be independent workers such as tutors, coaches or entertainers who need to have their Check verified by clients" |
| How to verify | An online form, or the Service NSW app |
If you hire an independent tutor who will teach your child in NSW, ask for their WWC or APP number, surname and date of birth, and verify them before the first lesson. Other states have their own schemes; check the rules where you live.
A tutor who is reluctant to share these details is telling you something.
Our teachers work from India, so we cannot give you an Australian Working with Children Check number to verify. We would rather say that clearly than leave you to wonder.
Instead, every lesson is live and led by a teacher, children are never left alone with other students, accounts are set up by parents, and you are welcome to sit in on any lesson.
Sources, read 7 October 2026: NSW Office of the Children's Guardian, Working with Children Check, What parents need to know (updated 8 December 2022) and Sole traders (updated 3 March 2022). This is general information, not legal advice.
Our method
The most useful thing a coding tutor knows is when to hand over control. We follow a three-step progression that researchers named use-modify-create.
| Step | What the learner does | What the tutor does |
|---|---|---|
| Use | Runs a working program and describes what it does | Chooses a program just beyond what the learner could write alone |
| Modify | Changes the program to behave differently: a new rule, a new level, a new output | Asks for predictions before each change and helps when it breaks |
| Create | Writes a new program of their own using the same ideas | Steps back, answers questions with questions, reviews at the end |
Irene Lee and colleagues described it in a 2011 article in ACM Inroads, "Computational thinking for youth in practice". The article's abstract says they "present a 'use-modify-create' framework, representing three phases of students' cognitive and practical activity in computational thinking".
We use it because it matches what we see: learners who jump straight to creating often stall, and learners who only ever use never gain confidence.
A nine-year-old plays a short Scratch game the tutor made (use), changes it so the cat moves faster and the score doubles (modify), then builds a different game with a timer and lives (create).
The same three steps work for a teenager learning Python functions, or an adult learning a web framework.
The learner starts guessing what a change will do before making it, and the guesses get better. They begin to suggest their own modifications instead of waiting for the tutor's.
Within a few weeks, the "create" step stops feeling like a test and starts feeling like the fun part.
Lessons that are mostly the tutor typing, or a learner who can run every program but never changes one. Both mean the progression has stalled at the first step.
A good tutor will welcome the conversation and adjust; that responsiveness is the reason to have a tutor at all.
Source: Lee, I. et al. (2011), ACM Inroads 2(1), 32 to 37, doi.org/10.1145/1929887.1929902; title, publication details and abstract confirmed via Crossref on 7 October 2026.
Lessons
The practical details Australian families ask about first.
Lessons are set in your local time. Our teachers' day in India overlaps with Australian afternoons and evenings, so after-school slots are routine.
The same teacher each week, who knows the learner's projects and where they get stuck.
A group of fifteen to twenty at a similar level, or one-to-one lessons at a pace set by the learner.
A laptop or desktop, keyboard, mouse or trackpad, webcam and headphones, and a steady connection.
A short task to try before next week, sized so it can be finished without help.
Finished projects can be opened at home, so families see progress every week.
Families comparing options can read our guides to what coding classes cost in Australia and to local versus online classes.
Stages
Milestones we look for, whatever the learner's age.
| Stage | What you notice |
|---|---|
| 1. Confident running | The learner runs and explains programs without fear of breaking them |
| 2. Purposeful changes | They change code to do something new, and predict the result first |
| 3. Own projects | They start projects of their own between lessons |
| 4. Independent fixing | They find and fix their own bugs before asking for help |
Progress shows up as projects they want to show you, and fewer "it does not work" moments.
Parents are welcome in lessons, especially at the start.
Progress shows up as larger projects, cleaner code and a growing habit of testing.
Adults often bring work or study problems, which become the tutoring material.
The catalogue
Grouped by age. All are available in small groups or one to one.
OTAU / CHD / 01
Games built step by step.
Open the syllabusOTAU / CHD / 02
Typed code from about nine.
Open the syllabusOTAU / CHD / 03
Luau inside a familiar world.
Open the syllabusOTAU / TEN / 01
Beginner to advanced.
Open the syllabusOTAU / TEN / 02
Object-oriented programming.
Open the syllabusOTAU / TEN / 03
Real apps with React Native.
Open the syllabusOTAU / ADL / 01
React, Node.js and deployment basics.
Open the syllabusOTAU / ADL / 02
From zero to useful.
Open the syllabusOTAU / ADL / 03
For study and interviews.
Open the syllabusHow lessons run
Our teachers measure a lesson by how much the learner did, not how much the teacher said.
After school
Weekday afternoons in your state.
Evenings
For teens and adults.
Weekends
Saturday and Sunday slots.
Every new idea starts with a working example to run.
Learners change it, predicting each result.
They build something new with the same idea.
A teacher on the call for the whole lesson.
Sit in on any lesson you like.
Continuity from week to week.
Student work
A selection of finished work, each built by the learner during tuition. The full collection is on the student labs page.

AI and ML
An AI nutrition coach that reads what you eat and works you toward a target.

AI and ML
A chatbot that answers mathematics and programming questions, built and deployed by a student.

AI and ML
An assistant that helps a young person recognise unsafe situations online.

Web app
A weather forecasting site with live conditions for any location.
Fees
Tuition outside India is priced monthly in US dollars, one rate for all countries. No enrolment fee is charged and you are not committed to a term, so stopping at the end of a month is always possible.
Free first class
USD 0
no card required
Group batch
USD 100
a month, billed in US dollars
One to one
USD 150
a month, billed in US dollars
What families say
Our Google reviews, quoted as families wrote them.
★★★★★
"The one step solution for my son. Modern Age Coders make learning coding so simple that kids love it. The teachers explain complex concepts clearly with practical exercises and interactive content."
Ria Mukherjee
Parent
★★★★★
"Modern Age Coders has been a game-changer for me. I struggled to grasp IT concepts and coding before joining, but their classes transformed everything. I can now confidently write complex programs with ease."
Samriddha Mondal
Student
★★★★★
"One of the most wonderful education centres out there. Education is not limited to school syllabus but focuses on skill development."
Vansh Agarwal
Student
★★★★★
"My child Dhairya is really enjoying the Modern Age Coders classes. This is his first online class and he eagerly looks forward to it. I can already see his improvement, and the teachers are very cooperative."
Sonam Oswal
Parent of Dhairya
★★★★★
"Modern Age Coders have wonderful teachers who teach in a clear, easy and practical way. The teacher boosts students' confidence and inspires them to learn without hesitation."
Sonu Goyal
Parent
★★★★★
"I highly recommend this computer coding class! The teachers are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about coding."
Ritu Kedia
Parent
Questions from families
An online coding tutor teaches live over video, working on the learner's own code: finding the source of bugs, filling gaps in understanding, setting the right next challenge and reviewing progress each week.
Use-modify-create is a teaching progression in which learners first run and explain a working program, then change it, then create their own using the same ideas. It was described by Lee and colleagues in 2011.
In New South Wales, the Working with Children Check is required for child-related work, and parents are told to verify a self-employed tutor's WWC or APP number before they start. Other states run their own schemes, so check local rules.
Our teachers work from India, so we cannot provide an Australian check number to verify. Instead, every lesson is live and teacher-led, children are never left alone with other students, and parents can sit in on any lesson.
Ask for their WWC or APP number, surname and date of birth, then use the online verify form or the Service NSW app. Only hire someone shown as Cleared or Application in progress.
For coding it often is, because the learner and tutor share the same screen and code. Very young children who find screens tiring may do better in person.
Lessons are set in your local time on weekday afternoons, evenings or weekends. Our teachers in India are two and a half to five and a half hours behind Australian clocks, which fits Australian after-school hours.
Yes. Adults learn Python, web development, data and AI with us, usually in evening or weekend lessons, often using their own work problems as material.
Small groups suit most learners and add peers to learn from. One-to-one lessons suit those who are much faster, much quieter, or working towards a specific goal.
The first lesson is free. After that, fees are monthly with no joining fee and no term lock-in; the fees section shows group and one-to-one prices.
Elsewhere on this site
More on choosing tuition and on our Australian classes.
Our main page for Australian families.
When individual lessons make sense.
Local or online, and how to check.
Per lesson and per term.
Year levels and time zones.
Our method in detail.
Start here
Leave a number and a time that suits. The learner works through a short program with a tutor, use first, then modify, and you can judge the fit for yourself.
Prefer to read more? See how a lesson runs or every course we teach.
WhatsApp us · +91 91233 66161 · connect@modernagecoders.com
WhatsApp is quickest from Australia. Our tutors and team are in India, so replies come from a +91 number; we have no Australian office.
A priority demo is a full class of about 45 to 60 minutes. After the class the mentor sends a written skill report and a personal learning roadmap on WhatsApp. If you enrol, the demo fee is adjusted against your first month's fee. Share your demo Order ID with us on WhatsApp and we take it off.
Book a priority demo