Scanning and skimming is very ordinary thing to do, I believe many learn to do that without any special instruction, especially if they are in a field where they read a lot. (Humanities majors, people who read magazines or NYTimes...) It's very basic thing in the arsenal of efficient learning.
The thing is, the kind the speed reading the article is about is something its proponents claim to be different than just "skimming".
The thing is, the kind the speed reading the article is about is something its proponents claim to be different than just "skimming".