Introduction: Effective teachers have the ability to motivate and inspire students to want to actively participate in learning. Motivation energizes, guides and extends behavior, it moves people forward, guides them in a particular direction and maintains them (McDevitt and Ormrod, 2010, p. 482). Motivation has been defined as the level of effort an individual is willing to exert to achieve a certain goal. Almost all children and adolescents are motivated in one way or another. In the classroom, it is up to the teacher to adapt to the different motivational influences of students. The teacher's responsibility is to provide an environment that enhances students' motivation to actively pursue their academic goals over an extended period of time. A teacher is only as effective as the plan he undertakes to teach and learn. To determine what constitutes an effective teacher, particular attention should be given to various areas that encompass effective teaching and learning, such as knowledge of child development, planning, teaching and learning strategies and knowledge of program content. Teaching and Learning Strategies: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation: There are two main motivational influences: intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. Both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation can encourage children to acquire new knowledge and skills and engage in productive behaviors (McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 482). The goal of an effective teacher would be to motivate all students intrinsically so that students are not dependent on extrinsic factors to be motivated. Most students rely on extrinsic motivation to begin with. It is up to the teacher to work to develop, encourage and maintain intrinsic motivation in...... middle of article......Annick, M., Brennen, MA. (2010). Article and resources on education, administration and supervision: Improving student motivation. Retrieved April 21, 2010 from http://www.soencouragement.org/enhancing-students-motivation.htmDepartment of Education and Training (2007). Duty of care towards students. Western Australian Government Maslow, A. (1987). Motivation and personality. Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Fetherston, T. (2006). Become an effective teacher. South Melbourne: Thompson. Hurst, C. (2009). Professional practice in primary education: for Curtin-Bentley University of Technology. Australia: Cengage learning Australia Pty limited. Marsh, C. (2008). Become an effective teacher. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia. McDevitt, T. and Ormrod, J.E. (2010). Child development and education. New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.