author
Gabriel Compayré
1843–1913
A major voice in French educational thought, he wrote widely on teaching, child psychology, and the history of education. His work helped shape debates about how children learn and how schools should be organized.
1 Audiobook
The History of Pedagogy
by Gabriel Compayré
About the author
Born in Albi, France, in 1843, Gabriel Compayré studied at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand and the École Normale Supérieure before earning the agrégation in philosophy. He went on to teach philosophy and later became known as an influential scholar of pedagogy.
Compayré wrote extensively about education, with books on the history of educational ideas, child psychology, and teaching methods. His studies of thinkers such as Pestalozzi and Herbart, along with his broader histories of French education, made him an important interpreter of modern educational theory for both French and international readers.
He also served in public life, including as a deputy for the Tarn and later in senior education posts such as rector and inspector-general. He died in Paris in 1913, leaving behind a body of work that kept linking philosophy with the practical work of teaching.