author
Gabriel Compayré
1843–1913
A major French thinker on education, he wrote widely on teaching, child psychology, and the history of pedagogy. His books helped shape how generations of teachers thought about moral and intellectual development.
1 Audiobook
The History of Pedagogy
by Gabriel Compayré
About the author
Born in Albi on January 2, 1843, Gabriel Compayré studied at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and the École normale supérieure, earning the agrégation in philosophy in 1866 and a doctorate in 1873. He went on to teach philosophy and later became a well-known voice in French educational thought.
Compayré taught at the Faculty of Letters in Toulouse and later worked in pedagogy at the École normale d'institutrices at Fontenay-aux-Roses. He also served in public life as a deputy for Lavaur and held senior education posts, including rectorates at Poitiers and Lyon and, later, inspector-general of secondary education.
He is best remembered for clear, influential books on education, including The History of Pedagogy and works on intellectual and moral education. Interested in both philosophy and classroom practice, he wrote about figures such as Rousseau and about the development of children, helping connect big educational ideas to everyday teaching.