2.2 Theoretical Basis

2.2.1 Cognitive Theory

Piaget's theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence. The theory deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans gradually come to acquire, construct, and use it.

The concrete operational stage is the third stage of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. This stage, which follows the preoperational stage, occurs between the ages of 7 and 11 (preadolescence) years and is characterized by the appropriate use of logic. Children at 7 and 11 are actually in higher grades of primary school. At this stage, there has been a significant change in the cognitive activities of children. Children acquire the capacity for abstract concepts and are able to make logical reasoning. Moreover, in this stage, the child's mind is operational in nature and can be logically thought and counted by means of specific objects or images derived from them. But at this stage, children are not able to think abstractly and still need to be helped by specific things.

As a teacher, therefore, we should be good at finding out what students should learn at each stage. Students in the higher grades of primary schools are in cognitive development of the Piaget's theory, with specific image thinking predominating. But abstract thinking is still in its infancy. Reading, as an abstract skill, is hard to really grasp in the higher grades of primary school, especially the text-based reading material, which is more difficult for them. And the English picture books is intuitive and vivid. The drawing in the picture story book can effectively guide the students to associate the story spontaneously. English picture books are better suited to the cognitive characteristics of pupils in the higher grades of primary schools and are a powerful tool for teachers in reading teaching to help students understand the content of a story.

2.2.2 Schema Theory

The schema theory holds that reading is a complex mental activity. Learners need to be actively involved, with constantly assuming, proving, reasoning, imagining, and acquiring new knowledge on the  basis  of original knowledge. The process of reading comprehension is the process of processing the new information. It is the process of the new information interacting with the existing knowledge in the mind and the process of recombination. Discourse is only about helping learners to construct the meaning of the text with  the knowledge that they have. In the course of reading, more information comes from the learner's knowledge of

the subject matter of the article, rather than from the material itself.

In conclusion, the more rich the schemata in the learners' minds, the easier it is to be activated, and the more quickly and accurately the learners can understand the meaning of the article. Therefore, the higher grades of students are in the critical period of learning English, and all activities in learning are opportunities for students to absorb and store patterns and construct patterns in their minds. English picture books can help students to effectively activate patterns and create new schema in their minds.

2.2.3 Multiple Intelligence Theory

Howard Gardner, a leading American developmental psychologist, puts forward a sweeping global theory of multiple intelligence in the structure of his writing intelligence. This theory pides human intelligence into eight aspects: language intelligence, musical intelligence, logical mathematics intelligence, visual space intelligence, physical motion intelligence, self-knowledge introspection intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, and natural observation intelligence. It emphasizes that everyone has multiple intelligence, and there are differences between different intelligences but are interrelated. The theory of multiple intelligence has also brought a new lesson to English education. In English teaching, teachers should change the traditional education idea, that is to pay attention to the development of students' intelligence. Teachers should pay more attention to the balanced development of children's other intelligence while paying attention to the teaching of knowledge. 英语绘本对小学高年级英语阅读作用研究(5):http://www.chuibin.com/yingyu/lunwen_206302.html